


Welcome to the Falls

by y02mustang



Series: The Falls [1]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Identity Reveal, Mutual Pining, Sharing a Bed, SuperCorp, background sanvers, fake dating au, mostly true to canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-30
Updated: 2018-05-22
Packaged: 2019-04-30 09:51:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 62,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14494353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/y02mustang/pseuds/y02mustang
Summary: Kara needs a favor.Lena can’t say no.Bed sharing and pining galore.——-Or, the canon-ish fake dating AU.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I’m currently traveling but I’ll try to have the next chapter up tomorrow!
> 
> I wanted to keep this as true to canon as possible. Takes place before the start of season 3.
> 
> This is sort of inspired by Stepford Wives and that one episode of The X-Files… with a fake dating Supercorp AU.
> 
> It’s a mess and a half. It gets angsty, but I promise there’s a happy ending.
> 
> Bonus points if you can catch all the references to the X-Files ep. (I’ll put the episode info at the end of the work, if you want to watch it!)

“Ponytail!”

Kara pokes her head in the reporter’s den. “Yes, boss?”

“Got an assignment for you,” Snapper gruffs, as though he’s already exhausted by the excitement he knows is coming.

“Oh?” Kara grins and bounces once, unable to help herself. “Great, no problem. What is it?”

“I’ve got a source at that fancy subdivision just outside National City,” he explains, sliding a single sheet of paper across his desk. "He’s been sending reports about… something strange going on over there. Take that boyfriend of yours and if you can actually manage to get a worthwhile article out of this, I’ll consider moving you higher up the food chain.”

 _Boyfriend._ Kara settles her glasses once, then again. It’s been nearly five months since the Daxamite invasion. She’d been fairly certain Snapper was aware of her dating-to-single status, since word spread quickly in Catco, but perhaps he’d forgotten. Or didn’t care, that was more likely. “Um, I don’t, I mean, we, uh… broke up.”

An honest-to-Rao _expression_ crosses Snapper’s face and for a moment Kara thinks it might be sympathy, but then he smacks his lips and she figures it was just a bit of breakfast danish stuck in his teeth. “Right,” he drawls. “Okay, I’ll put someone else -”

“No, I mean, I’ll do it. But just me.”

“Danvers,” Snapper sighs, “I didn’t suggest you take your boyfriend so you could spend company time making lovey-dovey eyes at each other. Arcadum is a couples-only community.”

“Oh.”

“Right.”

Kara shrugs and gives him another grin. “I can still do it. I need to find someone to go with me, right? I mean, we don’t actually have to be dating?”

Snapper raises a skeptical eyebrow. “You think you can lie your way to the truth of this story?”

“I can be very sneaky.”

He snorts. “Whatever. Here’s the address and what I’ve gotten from my source so far.” He lowers his glasses from the top of his head. “Catco is renting the house on Petrie, fully-furnished, so show up first thing Saturday, that’s your move-in date. You have the house for a month but don’t take that long, got me? I want an update by Monday morning.”

Kara nods. “Sure thing.”

He stares at her. “Well, what are you waiting for?”

“I’m going!” She grabs the paper and hurries down the hall to her own office, sinking into the chair behind her desk. 

She scans the information - there isn’t much, just a few lines from Snapper’s source about how creepy the residents were and one about the dangers of the darkness, which makes her sit up a little straighter in her seat but doesn’t give her any idea what she’s supposed to look for. 

She plucks a pen from the cup on her desk, twirling it between her fingers idly. 

Now she just has to figure out who would go with her.

Winn and James were out; given their past, she wouldn’t be comfortable asking them to fake a relationship. 

She bites her lip. When she considers it, there’s a history with all of her male friends, as evidenced by the next name coming to mind being Adam, and she sighs. 

Okay, so not a guy friend. Girl friend? 

She taps the pen against her chin. 

The first person that comes to mind is Lena, but she has to honestly assess if she can handle putting up a front with the woman. She’s known for a while that her feelings for the CEO have been venturing beyond the friendship line, sometimes dangerously so. 

Even before she started dating Mon-El, she can admit, when she’s being honest with herself.

And _during_ , which she only admits when she’s being hard on herself.

Mon-El is gone now… and Kara has gotten over the end of their relationship and is patently _not dealing_ with the worry of how he’s doing, so she feels like she could be in a place to start again… but it isn’t as though Lena has shown any interest in being more than friends so Kara just leaves it be.

She buries the feelings mostly, because Lena is her _best friend_ and she doesn’t want to chance losing her, and sometimes she maybe slips up with a too-long hug or adoring gaze. Nothing that Lena has commented on, so it must not be too obvious.

But if they were living together...

 _This is a job,_ Kara reminds herself. _I can be professional about this._

So. How do you ask someone you'd be interested in dating to act like you're dating, without giving away that you'd _actually_ like to be dating?

Kara sighs again. She has a feeling Alex is going to bruise something laughing at her. 

*****

Alex had been entirely unhelpful. She'd been laughing too hard to speak and handed the phone to Maggie, continuing to cackle in the background. 

When Kara explained her dilemma to Maggie, the woman tried, and failed, to smother her chuckle, and ultimately wished Kara good luck before quickly hanging up the phone. 

Kara barely needs her super hearing to know both women are laughing uproariously across town. 

She takes a deep breath. 

She’s on her own, then.

*****

Jess says, “Good morning. She only has fifteen minutes,” and she waves Kara along. 

_Must be a busy Wednesday,_ Kara muses, opening the door and stepping inside. 

Lena’s smile when Kara walks into her office is almost enough to turn her right back around. She’s clearly surprised but delighted at the impromptu visit and Kara can’t get over the way her green eyes light up when she’s happy. 

Kara swallows hard. There’s no way she’s going to be able to pretend to date this woman.

“Kara, I'm so glad you stopped by.” Lena gestures to the couch and begins to stand. “Is this a social visit?”

Kara takes a seat in one of the chairs across from her. “Um, it's… I need a favor.”

Lena sits back behind her desk and gives Kara her full attention. “Name it.”

“Well,” Kara looks at the notebook on her lap for guidance, though it’s closed, “Snapper gave me a lead and it actually sounds pretty interesting this time.”

“That's great.” Lena is familiar with Kara’s frustration at the scraps Catco’s senior editor has been throwing the junior reporter, so getting a legitimate assignment is a big deal. “How can I help?”

“Yeah…” She takes a breath to calm her nerves. “Have you heard anything about Arcadum?”

Lena shakes her head. “No, I'm afraid I haven't.”

“Okay, well, it's this new housing development at the edge of National City.” Kara tugs at the metal wire, coiled to hold her notebook together. She glances at Lena but can’t seem to hold her gaze. “Snapper seems to think there's _something_ going on, something worthy of a story, and he wants me to spend a week or so out there and check it out.”

“And the favor you need…?”

Kara bites her lip. “I'm single.” No, damn it, that wasn't what she wanted to say. “I mean, I have to be dating someone to live in Arcadum.” One end of the wire unhooks from the punched holes in the notebook. Kara stops fiddling with it before she unwinds the pages entirely and adjusts her glasses, eyes darting to the balcony as she briefly considers leaping from it. “Will you, I mean, it would be, you know, just for the story, but maybe, we could, sort of...”

Lena holds up a hand to stop Kara’s ramblings. “Are you asking me to be your significant other, as part of your cover story?” She tries not to let her excitement show. Even if it’s a temporary agreement with boundaries and a deadline, Lena already knows she’ll accept. 

“Um, yes?” Kara meets her eyes now. “You totally don't have to. It's, I mean, purely professional, right? I don't want to make you uncomfortable.”

“Purely professional,” Lena echoes with a practiced smile. “Of course I’ll help you out.”

Kara’s face radiates surprise. “Really?”

Lena chuckles. “Honest. However, I'm going to need some details and background.” She glances at her tablet. “I have a meeting shortly, can we get together tonight and discuss this some more? When do you need to be in Arcadum?”

“Saturday morning, so we’ve got a few days. Um, I’ll text you?”

“Sounds good.”

Kara slips out the door and Lena resists the urge to rest her forehead on the desk. 

She imagines this purely professional favor will end up being absolute torture… exquisite torture, but, nonetheless. 

*****

Lena stands outside Kara’s apartment door for more than ten minutes, working up the courage to knock and announce her presence. It’s late, past seven; Lena’s time at the office had kept her longer than she’d expected but Kara insisted the hour didn’t matter. 

She’s agreed to help Kara. 

That’s not in question. 

She simply has no idea how to approach a hypothetical romantic relationship with the reporter.

 _Just imagine you’re actually dating,_ her mind encourages, not for the first time. _It’ll be easy._

Lena doubts that, but knocks anyway. 

Kara answers within seconds, smiling and beckoning her inside. She’d heard Lena’s heartbeat as she stood in the hall and was worried the woman had changed her mind, that she would ultimately be unable to convince herself that even a fake relationship was something she could manage. “Thanks for coming.”

“Sorry I’m late.”

Kara shakes her head and closes the door. “No, it’s fine, really.” She plays with a thread from the hem of her t-shirt before shoving both hands in the pockets of her jeans. “Can I get you something to drink? I still have that wine you brought before.”

Lena smiles. _Thank god._ “That would be great, thank you.” She puts her purse on the floor and hangs her light jacket on an empty coat hook. 

Kara takes a wineglass from the cupboard and fills it half full. 

“We could sit on the couch?” Kara offers. 

She takes the glass when Kara hands it over and follows the blonde to the living room. She sits on the sofa and slips her heels off with a contented sigh. 

“So, um…” Kara settles beside her, fingers tapping, “about this weekend.”

“Mmhmm.” Lena takes a sip of her wine. “Do you have any idea what’s happening there that warrants a story?”

Kara shrugs. “Nope. Snapper didn’t have many details. We’ll have to see how it goes.”

“I did some googling before I left the office… it looks like a beautiful community.” Lena remembers the article she’d read, published just over eighteen months before, when the houses were still just wooden frames. “Family oriented, given the couples focus, and it sounds like it’s always catered to that demographic since inception. There’s a pool and a small clubhouse and a little park of sorts.”

“The pictures are really nice,” Kara agrees, relieved that, so far at least, Lena doesn’t seem like she’s hating the idea.

“I’m assuming we have a home already chosen, or do we need to go house hunting?”

“Oh, yeah, Catco is covering it. It’ll probably only be like a week? But Snapper said we have up to a month, if necessary.”

Lena hums. “I’m afraid I can’t stay away from L-Corp for that long.”

Kara’s eyes widen. “No, Lena, I don’t want you to take time off work. I know that’s difficult for you and I don’t expect you to be gone for a week or more. You can still go into the office.”

She chuckles. “Isn’t this supposed to be a cover? I can’t exactly be the CEO of L-Corp and pretend to be someone besides Lena Luthor. You aren’t going to tell everyone you’re a reporter with Catco, right?”

Kara blinks and gives her a look that says the blonde has thought through exactly zero percent of their cover story. To be fair, most of Kara’s focus has been lost to daydreams since Lena agreed to the arrangement and she hasn't really had a chance to think about the logistics of a cover. 

Lena hides her amusement with a long swallow of wine. 

“Right, I mean, no, of course not. I’m, um, I’m going to be a writer.”

“Everyone is going to want to know what you write.”

“... Books.”

Lena can’t hold back her laughter this time. “What genre? What’s your penname? People are going to want to know if they have a famous author in their neighborhood.”

“Oh.” Kara frowns. “I’m working on my first novel.”

“Well, I’ll be doing computer programming from home, that should be enough to support us.” Lena considers another angle. She’d gone over most of the details in her head as Martin was driving her from work, determined to do her best to provide whatever Kara needed for the article - it wasn't often Kara asked for a favor and Lena didn't want to let her down. “Do we need to be married or is dating okay?”

Kara blushes, hard. “Um, dating is good.”

“So we’ll each need to come up with a different last name.” She crosses her ankles and takes a breath, sinking further into the comfort of the couch cushions. “Do we need to actually move in Saturday morning? Do we have to find some furniture and a truck?”

“Snapper said the house is fully furnished so we just have to bring, like, a box of clothes and whatever we’ll need for the week.”

Lena purses her lips. “You seem pretty certain you can wrap this up in a week.”

Kara shrugs one shoulder. “That was kind of the soft deadline Snapper gave me.”

She sighs, unsurprised. “We’ll see how it goes, okay? It might take longer.” _Hopefully._ She drains the last of her wine. “We should come up with a backstory for our relationship so we’re on the same page when people ask.”

Kara shoves her glasses up her nose, blinking when the lenses brush against her eyelashes. “Yeah, we should.” She begins to tug at the hem of her shirt. _What was that one daydream? Oh, right._ “Maybe… we’ve been dating for a year and decided to move in together.”

Lena nods. “That would work.”

“And, um, we met when my sister introduced us.”

“Sure.” Lena chuckles softly to herself, imagining Alex Danvers trying to set them up together. “I’d say we knew each other for a while before we started dating, so perhaps we met about two years ago?”

“Yeah,” Kara smiles, “that’s good.” 

Lena clears her throat. “What about affection?”

 _Rao, help me._ Kara hopes her gulp isn’t audible but suspects it was drowned out by the beating of her heart. “Um, the, the what?”

Lena gives her a fondly exasperated look. “Affection… it would look awfully strange if we were dating and moving in together but never so much as held hands.”

“Oh. Yeah.” Kara swallows. “I, um, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

 _I don’t think that’s possible._ “I know, Kara. I feel the same way. That’s why we should talk about this, okay?”

Kara licks her lips. “Yeah. Okay.” She gnaws on her bottom lip. _How do I say out loud the touches I’ve only imagined sharing with you?_ “We hug now, you know, already, so we could just sort of… keep our arms around each other, and, also, hold hands.” _This sounds like some ridiculously tame idea of romance but if I try to describe anything further, I’ll probably blurt something about having dreamt of holding you close, of kissing you, and we definitely don’t need to get into a discussion about my dreams._

_Of you._

_Yep, stopping that train right there._

Lena takes a breath, agreeing, “Yes, that’s fine. We’ll probably… it would be suspicious if we never kissed, I think. Would you be alright with that?” She shifts her wineglass and when she remembers it’s empty, she uses that as a fantastic excuse to walk to the kitchen and refill it, giving her a chance to hide her blush and avoid Kara’s gaze if the answer is ‘no’. 

“That’s, yeah, I could do that.” _Gladly. A million times._

Lena considers teasing her, something along the lines of, “Well don’t sound so excited”, but she’s just proud of herself for walking back to the couch without dropping her glass. “At least when we’re within view of the neighbors,” she adds, giving Kara an out. 

“Right.” _Professional, remember? This won’t be real._ “Of course.”

They spend the next thirty minutes finalizing their cover and ensuring they have the details down.

When Lena finishes her second glass of wine, she puts her heels back on and grabs her purse from its place near the door. “I’ll meet you here Saturday morning,” she reminds Kara, who places the empty wine glass on the kitchen counter. 

“Yep, seven o’clock.” She places her hand on the doorknob, but before pulling the door open for Lena, she tugs her into a one-armed hug. “Thank you for doing this.”

Lena returns the embrace. _If only you knew._ “You’re very welcome.” She squeezes her gently and steps back. “Good night, Kara.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arriving in Arcadum.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for all your comments and kudos!! I'm home now and updated the chapter list to reflect that there's more to be posted.

The next two days are spent arranging to be gone from their respective positions for at least a week. 

Lena has Jess shuffle appointments and move as much as possible to email communication, which she can do from her tablet or laptop while she’s in Arcadum. She’ll need to come in for one meeting in the second week, if it goes that long, but otherwise Jess has assured her she can handle the day-to-day. 

J’onn agrees to manage Supergirl duties for at least two weeks but cautions Kara that he may not be able to keep it up much longer beyond that. He can mimic Kara pretty well, at least in speed, flight, and strength, but after several weeks the public may begin to pick up on the differences and he doesn’t want rumors of another Bizarro. 

He also has an organization to run, as he reminds her. Alex is stepping up to help with the director duties, but since this is for a Catco assignment and not some DEO project, J’onn can’t justify bringing Lucy in from the desert base. 

Alex knows it’s a big opportunity for the reporter. “Keep me posted, okay?”

Kara nods. “Of course. But this is just a Catco thing.”

“Maybe. Besides, I want to know how your _fake relationship_ goes.”

“Alex,” Kara whines.

“You understand that is the most clichéd situation ever, right? Two friends decide to pretend to date for some perfectly sensible reason, only to fall in love before it’s over?”

“We’re both professionals about this. It’s for my job.” Kara’s been telling herself that for the past seventy-two hours. It isn’t helping. 

“Right,” Alex drawls with a chuckle. 

*****

Lena meets Kara on Saturday morning. 

It’s a few minutes before seven when David pulls into the parking area for Kara’s apartment complex. He insists on helping Lena move the three large cardboard boxes.

Kara meets them downstairs, reaching in her pocket for keys to the mid-sized SUV that Catco rented for them to use. It’s clearly earlier than Kara is used to being up, or perhaps she just hasn’t had coffee yet, as her hair is in a half-hearted ponytail and Lena recognizes the large t-shirt as one Kara often opts to sleep in.

“Morning,” she yawns, releasing the latch on the hatchback. She makes room for Lena’s boxes beside the two she’d carried down herself the night before. 

Lena’s apparently got a knack for this cover story stuff. Her boxes say “Bedroom” and “Lena’s Office” in large block letters, appropriate for moving. 

Kara had first packed a suitcase as though this were a regular trip, then dumped the contents into two boxes and called it good. 

“Good morning,” Lena chuckles. She thanks David and he does a quick check of the sedan to be sure Lena didn’t leave anything behind, then wishes them both well and drives off. “Did you not sleep well?”

“I slept like a rock.” _When I finally got to bed after wrangling a Tarsin into custody._ Kara puts her fingers behind her lenses to wipe at her eyes. “I just need a doughnut or something.”

“Well, let’s get you breakfast, then.”

Kara assures her she’s awake enough to drive. She settles behind the wheel and adjusts the mirrors as Lena buckles her seatbelt. She shifts into reverse and focuses on the backup camera. 

“Here we go,” she smiles, pulling out of the parking space. 

Lena realizes that she’s never actually been in a vehicle with Kara driving. The blonde drives _fast._ Nothing much over the speed limit, but her lane changes are quick, with barely a glance over her shoulder, and even the check of the side mirrors fades to nothing as they continue down the road. 

It’s barely been twenty minutes and Lena’s fairly certain she won’t survive another seventy. 

She grips the door handle. “Did you, ah, want to stop for breakfast?” 

Kara’s eyes flicker to the display in the dash. “Yeah, we have time.” 

She crosses three lanes of traffic and takes the next exit. 

Lena swears under her breath. 

“You okay?” Kara raises an eyebrow as they wait for the red light past the off ramp. 

“You just…” she gestures with her free hand, “you’re a very confident driver.”

Kara grins at her. “See, I told Alex there was nothing to worry about.”

“Why was Alex worried?”

“Oh, just that it’s been like three years since I’ve driven a car. No, almost four, I guess.”

“ _What?_ ”

The light changes and Kara makes a left turn. “I don’t really have to drive much,” she clears her throat, “I mean, public transportation in National City is so widely available and I hate paying for parking. After I moved into the apartment, I let Alex keep my car.” 

She finds a doughnut shop and takes the first open parking spot. “This okay?”

Lena nods and pries her fingers off the door handle. “They serve coffee, it’s fine.”

When Kara makes her order for a dozen doughnuts, including four crullers, Lena doesn’t even blink. She just tacks on a large mocha and a bagel and then pays with her card. 

“Thanks,” Kara smiles, eyes glued to the display case. Narrowing it down for a box of twelve is always so difficult. 

“You can make it up to me.”

Kara blinks at her, tearing her gaze away from the Reese’s doughnut. “How?”

“I’m driving the rest of the way.”

*****

Kara teases Lena about how they aren’t going to make it on time with her driving. 

Lena retorts that they’ll make it in one piece and that’s what really counts. 

Kara plays with the radio, listening for the quiet sighs that tell her Lena doesn’t care for shock jocks or heavy metal. At least not at seven-thirty in the morning. Her heart rate calms when Kara finds a classical station, so she leaves the dial there and grabs her last cruller. 

“Did you leave me any?”

“Um.” She swallows the large bite of cruller. If she’d been sitting next to Alex, she would have spit it into her hand and offered it to her sister, just because. “Do you want the rest of this one?”

“I’m always impressed how quickly you can finish a dozen doughnuts.”

“Impressed or grossed out?”

She laughs. “Maybe more impressed with your iron stomach.”

“That makes sense.” Kara stuffs the last bite into her mouth and wipes her hands on a napkin. “I can get you more doughnuts.”

“I was joking, but thank you.”

They exit the freeway and Lena follows the prompts from the GPS, eventually turning down a quiet, secluded street. 

An iron gate bars their way. 

Lena rolls down the window and looks to Kara. “How do we get in?”

Kara picks up a blue folder she’d stuck between the seat and the console and rustles through the papers. “Try 61599.”

She enters the code on the keypad and it issues a low tone as the gate begins to open. 

“That’s a good sign. Our address is, um,” more shuffling, “on Petrie. 450 Petrie.”

Lena follows what seems to be a newly-paved road. The painted lines are clean and she doesn’t cross a single pothole. They pass dozens of homes, all the same form and painted the same color of off-white, lawns cut short, a few flowers surrounding each mailbox, and a single lemon tree serves as a focal point in each yard. 

A few people are out watering their lawns and they wave as the SUV drives past. 

There are only three small streets in the community, each with only ten homes across the block, and the second one she turns down is Petrie. Number 450 is the center and Lena pulls into the driveway, shifting the car into park. 

“Ready?”

Kara nods. “Let’s do this.”

By the time they exit the car and reach for the boxes in the back, two neighbors have approached. 

“Hi!” The woman is a few inches shorter than Lena, with shoulder-length red hair and bright green eyes. “I’m Emily Anderson and this is my husband, Stephen.”

Kara puts the first box down to greet Emily. “I’m Kara Miller.”

“Lena Byrne,” she says, taking Stephen’s hand firmly. He’s nearly as tall as Kara but thin and almost lanky. His grip is gentle.

He smiles at them both. “Welcome to the neighborhood!”

“How long have you two been together?” Emily asks. 

“Oh, a little over a year now,” Kara says, eyes slightly wide, at this, the first test of their cover story. 

Lena chuckles softly and puts an arm around Kara’s waist. “We’ve been house hunting for a few months but when we saw this place, we knew it was perfect. Right, darling?”

“Right. Yes. Perfect,” Kara stammers. 

“You’re going to love it here.” Stephen shifts as if to grab one of the boxes. “Here, let us help you take these in!”

“That’s okay, we -” Kara tries to wave him off, but he slips his fingers under one of Kara’s boxes and tugs it from the back, grunting at the weight. 

“Books?” he asks, getting a better grip. 

“Ah, yeah, some.” She adjusts her glasses. “I can take that, really.”

“I got it.”

Seeing that Stephen is set on carrying the box himself, Kara sighs and steps around him in order to reach the front door first, unlocking it and pushing it open, instructing him to put the box down on the dining table. 

“Is this all you’ve got?” Emily asks, when the last box has been carried inside. 

“We’ve got almost a month left on our other lease,” Lena replies, as Kara flounders, “so we’re taking advantage of being able to move in slowly.”

Stephen nods. “Smart. Moving can be a hassle!” 

“Thank you for your help,” Kara smiles.

“Anytime, neighbor!” Stephen jerks his thumb to the right. “We’re just next door, so if you need anything at all, you just let us know.”

“We appreciate it.” Lena walks them out, waves with a smile as they head down the driveway, and closes the door gently behind them. “Well,” she chuckles, “they’re friendly.”

Kara laughs. “And how.” She grins at Lena. “Should we take a tour of the house?”

It’s a single-story but the layout makes good use of the space available. A large kitchen with a granite-top island, two full baths, including the master bathroom which is spacious, two bedrooms, though one is set up as an office, and a cozy living room. The decor is warm, gentle yellows and tans, and Kara decides she likes it. 

They take an hour or so to actually unpack, Kara taking the small chest of drawers and Lena choosing the taller dresser, Kara claiming the left sink of the master bath for her own, and Lena sets up her laptop in the office. Kara brought a picture frame from her apartment, one of her and Alex when they were teens, and she places it on the low hutch near the front door. 

Lena finds it entirely adorable.

Kara checks in with Snapper via text and he replies quickly, telling her about a meeting he’s set up for her with his source on Sunday afternoon. Kara informs Lena of the appointment and she nods, stepping into the office to tackle the emails that came through overnight. 

When it begins to near noon, Lena can hear Kara’s rumbling stomach from across the house.

“Should we get some lunch?”

Kara habitually goes to the refrigerator and sighs at the emptiness.

Lena chuckles. “Come on,” she squeezes Kara’s shoulder, “I guess that means we need to go shopping.”

*****

Grocery shopping with Kara is… an experience. 

Lena’s seen her eat, she’s well acquainted with the woman’s almost ridiculous appetite, and as a result, she has no problem ordering large amounts of takeout or multiple meals at a restaurant. 

She’s been to Kara’s apartment, so she knows how well-stocked the blonde keeps her kitchen, mostly snack food, with a constant threat of at least one bag of cookies falling from the pantry whenever it’s opened. _To the brim,_ is how Alex put it, once.

But watching Kara expertly stack a shopping cart to full capacity; well, it borders on an art form.

Lena doubts the reporter has ever been to the small grocery store on the edge of town but Kara strolls down the aisles as though she’s lived there her entire life. Even when the first items are chosen (two gallons of milk and three dozen eggs), she puts the fragile eggs in the small pullout child’s seat and situates the milk jugs in the corner of the main basket, and when the bags of chips go in, she makes sure they are on the opposite side of the heavier items so they won’t be crushed. 

Kara pauses to restack things as necessary, adding in a pack of hot dogs and some side dishes with the hope of using the grill by the pool. 

They start at the back of the store and go down each aisle. Kara selects her favorites on sight but waits patiently for Lena to check labels and choose her own brands. 

“Are you shopping for the entire month?” Lena asks, when the frozen pizza begins to stack up.

“No,” Kara bites her lip and looks at the cart, trying to find space, “should I?”

Lena shakes her head. “It’s fine. We can come back.” 

Kara finds an open checkout line and begins to unload the cart onto the belt. 

As Lena hands her items, she leans over and whispers, “I don’t suppose Catco gave you access to a business account?”

“Um, Snapper said they’d reimburse us. We just have to save receipts.”

Lena snorts. “I don’t think they had your food budget in mind when they offered.”

Kara blushes and scratches her nose. “No, probably not.”

The young man behind the register dutifully scans the purchases, bagging them with far less care than Kara would have liked, judging by her worried glances, but he smiles pleasantly and tries to make small talk. 

“You guys from Arcadum?”

“Why do you say that?”

“We get most of our business from the residents,” he shrugs, “because we’re so close.”

Lena returns his smile. “Yes, we’re just getting settled in.”

“Well, welcome. They seem like a quiet bunch of folks.” He double-bags the gallons of milk and then brings up the total. 

Kara seems unsurprised by the amount nearing five hundred dollars and reaches for her wallet, but Lena has her card out first and swipes it through the machine.

“Thanks.” 

Lena smiles fondly. “Of course, darling.”

The cashier is printing out the long receipt so he completely misses Kara’s silly grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The idea of Lena going grocery shopping with Kara is endlessly amusing to me.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beginning to dig into the story at Arcadum.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh look, there's a plot!

Kara turns the oven on the moment she walks in the door and then helps Lena unload the groceries and put everything away, including the three cases of bottled water Lena purchased. She puts one of the frozen pizzas in as soon as the oven is ready and impatiently waits for it to cook.

She’d have heated in ten seconds if she could use her powers and her stomach growls loudly at the delay. 

“Would you like a salad while you wait?” Lena asks, seeing Kara bounce on the balls of her feet and frown at the appliance.

Kara makes a face. “That’s gross.”

Lena laughs. “Suit yourself.” She sits on one of the tall stools at the island. “Can we talk for a second?”

“Of course.” Kara leans against the granite top. “What’s up?”

“Are you sure… you’re comfortable with us pretending to be in a relationship?”

Kara blinks. “Yeah, I mean, it’s… yeah.” She licks her lips, concerned that she’s already done something to mess it up, to make Lena second-guess her decision, not even twelve hours in. “Do you not want to, anymore?”

“It isn’t that.” Lena takes a moment to gather her thoughts. “You seem a little… surprised, I think, when we do something… _coupley_?” She purses her lips at the term, not what she’d wanted. “Or when I call you darling.”

Kara tilts her glasses, adjusting them carefully. “I’m not, I guess I’m not really good at, sort of, turning it on and back off? The act of being together, I mean.” _More like, once I start, I’m not sure I’d want to stop, even when we’re done here._ She worries at her bottom lip. “I should have expected it at the grocery store since it’s so nearby.”

“What if we don’t step out of the role?”

“What?”

Lena clears her throat. “We can just keep it up, at least on some level, until you get what you need for the article.” 

Kara tilts her head. Lena’s heart is beating fast and she can’t decide if that’s because she’s forcing herself far beyond her comfort zone by making the offer, or… no, that must be it. “Are you sure?” She clasps her hands together tightly. “You’d… you’re okay with that?”

“I think it will be easier,” she sighs. _More natural. More real. But so much harder when it’s over._

Kara nods. “As long as you tell me if you, um, need a break or something.”

“I promise.” The oven dings and Lena raises an eyebrow. “Your lunch is ready.”

*****

Kara relaxes more throughout the day. 

Lena sits down at the desk in her office and begins to go through the dozens of emails that have already accumulated since morning, when the doorbell rings. 

“I’ll get it,” Kara says, tapping her hand lightly against the doorframe as she walks down the hall.

“Hi,” Lena hears a woman’s voice after Kara opens the door, “I’m Megan, I live just two doors down. Welcome to the neighborhood!”

Kara laughs gently. “Thank you very much. Kara Miller.”

“I brought some lemonade - freshly squeezed.”

“Oh, wow. Thanks!”

 _Lemonade?_ Lena shakes her head. _An interesting choice of housewarming gift. Don’t we all have our own tree if we wanted to make lemonade?_

“Gary, my husband, he’s at work right now, but we wanted to invite you to dinner tonight. You and, um…”

“Lena.” There’s a pause as Kara considers the offer. “She’s a little busy right now and I think, you know, since this is our first night…”

Lena knows Kara means it in a “we want to settle in” kind of way but she’s also one-hundred percent certain Megan takes it in the “we want to christen every room in the new house” way. 

She finds herself unable to concentrate on the reply email she’s drafting.

“Oh, sure, of course!” Megan chuckles loudly. “Totally understand, honey.”

“Okay. So, thanks, but, um, another night?”

“Two doors down,” she reminds Kara, “just let us know. Oh! But Monday night is the weekly block party. Just a little barbecue get together. We’ll see you there?”

Kara brightens at the prospect of a barbecue. It means she'll have to share the dishes she picked up at the store, but she figures she'll enjoy sampling the other food enough to outweigh not getting an entire pound of bacon-and-potato salad to herself. “Sure! Do we need to bring anything?”

“Goodness, no! Just yourselves! Think of it like a welcome to the neighborhood,” the woman grins broadly.

“Sounds good. Thanks!”

The door closes and Lena hears Kara walk into the kitchen, likely setting down the lemonade. 

“That was another neighbor, Megan,” Kara reports, poking her head in the office. “She invited us to dinner tonight but I asked for a rain check.”

Lena chuckles. “I heard. And that’s fine, thank you.”

She walks all the way into the room and stands near Lena. “Are you really busy?”

Lena glances up at her. “I’m at a stopping point,” she admits, neither of them bringing up that she literally just started, “why?”

Kara grins. “Want to see what the cable package is like?”

*****

Lena can’t remember the last time she spent a Saturday afternoon “vegging out”, as Kara calls it, watching television. 

They start out like the occasional movie night, sitting beside each other on the couch, but then - and Lena isn’t sure if it’s the minor angst in the second episode of the sitcom or Kara’s “in role” behavior - Kara stretches out and rests her head in Lena’s lap. 

Lena isn’t about to challenge the position. She runs her fingers through locks of blonde hair that have pulled loose from the ponytail and smiles when she feels Kara’s hand curl against her knee. 

Two episodes of the sitcom turn into two episodes of a romcom and an animated movie that, when Kara caught a glimpse of the title in the cable’s guide channel, she squealed and announced they had to watch. 

“Seems like the cable package is a success,” Lena declares when the credits scroll across the screen. 

“I was so sad when they took that movie off Netflix. This was fun.” She turns her head to blink up at Lena. It’s an unusual angle but she finds the CEO, unsurprisingly, still radiates beauty. “Thanks for letting me invade your space.”

Lena chuckles. “Quite welcome, darling.” The endearment comes easier now, nearing the end of their first full day as a “couple”, but it’s the first time she’s said it without others around to hear and for a moment she worries Kara will call her on it. Despite their earlier talk of staying in character she wonders what Kara will be comfortable with. 

Kara grins, still a little silly but mostly what Lena recognizes as honestly happy, and sits up, placing a kiss to her shoulder as she moves. “Gonna go jump in the shower,” she says, “unless you want it first?”

“That’s fine. I’ll get a late dinner together, what would you like?”

“Food.”

“Are you giving me permission to feed you vegetables?”

“No!” Kara laughs. 

“I’ll figure something out,” Lena chuckles. “Just leave me some hot water.”

“Of course.” Kara pats her knee and heads to the master bathroom. 

Lena sighs heavily and leans her head against the back of the couch. _Breathe,_ she instructs herself, _you can do this. Stay focused. God, it’s hard when Kara is so close._

Lena wonders again if she’s going to regret this. 

*****

After her shower, Kara declares the water pressure fantastic and bounces into the kitchen wearing an oversized t-shirt and cotton sleep pants. 

She gasps when she sees the plates Lena set on the dining table. “You made potstickers?! I didn’t even see you put that in the cart!” 

Lena grins, pleased with her decision. “I snuck them under the bag of tater tots you had to have. They’re probably the quickest frozen food we have, just takes a quick fry in the pan.”

“You’re the best.” Kara takes a glass from the cabinet and fills it with lemonade, offering it to Lena, who takes an experimental sip. 

“Too sweet,” she declares, shaking her head. 

Kara tries it herself, shrugs, and then drops into a chair. “Did you eat already?”

“I finished my salad from this afternoon.”

Kara makes a face but doesn’t comment. “Want me to save you one?”

Admittedly charmed by the offer, Lena shakes her head. “I’m going to shower and then go to bed.” She hesitates. “I’ll, ah,” _see you there?_ she wants to ask.

“Oh, I snagged a pillow. I’ll, um, sleep on the couch. It’s okay.”

Lena frowns a little. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, totally. I get kinda, you know, sometimes I like sprawl out all over the place.” Kara settles her glasses and smiles at Lena. “It’s okay,” she insists. 

Forcing herself not to be disappointed, Lena nods and leaves Kara to her dinner.

*****

Kara wakes a little past dawn and decides breakfast is the first order of the day. She folds the blanket on the end of the couch, throws the pillow on top, and shuffles into the kitchen. 

She scans the food they’d bought the previous day. “Pancakes,” she smiles to herself, “and since you can’t have pancakes without bacon and eggs…” She pulls all the necessary ingredients from the refrigerator and begins finding the pans she’ll need. 

The smell of bacon cooking is what rouses Lena. She stretches and sighs, waiting a moment, comfortable and warm. She’s already decided to find the brand of the mattress and order one for her apartment. 

A knock on the door compels her to move, but she hears Kara respond. 

“Good morning,” she recognizes Megan’s voice from the day before.

“Good morning!”

“I know it’s early, but I could smell breakfast so I thought you must - oh.” She pauses in mid-sentence. “Uh oh.”

Kara raises an eyebrow. “What’s wrong?”

“Trouble in paradise?” she asks, pointing to the evidence on the arm of the sofa.

“Oh! No, um, it’s, sometimes I snore, you know, and I don’t want to keep Lena up so I just sleep on the couch.” 

“So you two are okay?”

Kara tilts her head. “We’re great,” she assures the woman, curious at the concern. “I was just making breakfast for Lena when she wakes up.”

“That’s so nice,” Megan beams. “Well, I was just coming over to invite you to dinner tonight. Around six?”

“I’ll ask Lena.”

“Six is fine,” Lena calls from the bedroom. 

Kara smiles. 

“Any food allergies?”

“Nope! We’ll see you then.” When the door is closed again, she says, “Sorry, did I wake you?”

“Only by way of cooking me breakfast, so you’re forgiven.” Lena comes out of the bedroom, having changed from her pajamas to a pair of jeans and a cotton long-sleeved shirt, leaving her hair down, and she raises an eyebrow at Kara. “Did I hear Megan ask if we were having problems?”

Kara shakes her head, breaking the stare she’d leveled at Lena. “Yeah, it was kind of weird. She seemed really worried that I slept on the couch.”

“Maybe we can find out more at dinner.”

Kara nods. “Plus we’ve got the meeting with Snapper’s source this afternoon.” She brightens. “But first, food!”

“Of course.”

*****

“I can’t believe you have more emails,” Kara sighs after breakfast, when Lena brings her laptop into the dining room. 

Lena chuckles. “That’s what happens when you have investors and consultants all over the world, time differences mean there’s a meeting occurring at almost any given moment.” She opens the mail program. “Let me get through a few of these and we can get ready for the source, okay?”

“But it’s Sunday.”

“Yes, I believe someone distracted me with “vegging” in front of the television yesterday.”

“Oh, right.” Kara sits down beside her. “How many of these emails would be conference calls or in-person meetings if you were going into work like usual?”

“It’s not a big deal.”

“How many?”

Lena sighs. “Less than half.”

“So like forty percent.” Kara grasps Lena’s hand and squeezes her fingers. “I’m sorry you’re doing all this extra work.”

Lena pulls her hand up and places a kiss against Kara’s knuckles before she can talk herself out of it. “It isn’t extra, it’s just different. Email instead of regular meetings. Trust me, sometimes the emails are easier.” She smiles when Kara keeps her hand close, resting near her jaw. “Honestly, I’m glad for the excuse to get out of the office a little more. A bit of a change, you know?”

“Promise you’ll tell me if it’s too much.”

“You _worry_ too much,” Lena states. When Kara tilts her head, she nods. “I promise, okay?”

Kara traces her cheekbone with her thumb. She seems to get lost in the moment and blinks rapidly a few times when she realizes what she’s doing. “Okay, yeah, good, because I don’t want you to be overwhelmed or feel like you’re neglecting L-Corp, or that you’re going to regret helping me for this article, or -“

Lena presses a kiss against Kara’s palm before the reporter tugs her hand away. “I want to be here.” 

“Oh.” Kara breaks into a bright grin. “Awesome.”

Lena returns the smile softly. “Now, I’m going to go back to my emails, okay?”

Kara darts forward and kisses her cheek. “Yep, I’ll let you work.” She scrambles out of the kitchen toward the bedroom.

Lena lets out a slow, heavy breath when Kara leaves the room. _That was… nice._ She shakes her head. _That was trouble. Dangerous,_ she corrects. _Too easy._

*****

Kara changes in two seconds, switching from her sleep clothes to a pair of stone-washed jeans and a light blue polo shirt, but waits in the bedroom, letting a few minutes go by so it doesn’t appear suspicious. 

_What am I doing??_ She grabs a pillow and smashes it against her face, groaning. _Lena said just stay in character, but oh, that gets dangerous so, so quickly._

_This is way harder than I thought._

She ducks into the bathroom to splash cold water on her face. _Okay._ She stares at her reflection in the large mirror, bracing her hands against the edge of the left sink. _Act natural. But don’t fall in too deep. Right._

Then she remembers the feel of Lena’s breath against her fingers, the woman’s lips brushing against her palm where she laid a kiss, and she knows she isn’t going to make it out of the week unscathed. 

*****

The meeting with the source takes place at a small cafe in downtown Union City. It’s an hour-long drive and Lena grabs the keys from Kara’s hand before the blonde can protest. 

“I can’t take an hour of you driving, especially not on the freeway.”

Kara frowns a little. “I’m a safe driver. I’d never hurt you.”

Lena softens, not expecting the sadness behind the tone. “I know that,” she says gently, grasping Kara’s wrist, thumb smoothing the skin there idly. “I know you wouldn’t intentionally put us in a dangerous situation, okay? It’s just… your driving makes me nervous. You don’t signal before you change lanes and you barely check your mirrors. I trust you but I don’t trust everyone else on the road to know your intentions.”

 _Oh._ Kara had been using her hearing and spatial awareness to keep track of the vehicles in surrounding lanes, which meant she could tell who was revving the engine to accelerate around her or who was pressing on the brake, and she knew exactly where she could slide in. She hadn’t thought about how that must look from a human viewpoint. 

_Rao, I only ever drove with Alex in the car. She just closed her eyes. I never asked if it was because she wasn’t worried or because she couldn’t stand to watch._

Kara swallows. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to make you nervous. I’ll be more careful.”

“Thank you.” Lena squeezes her hand. “I’m still driving.”

“Okay.” Kara isn’t going to argue the point. Lena hasn’t released her hand, threading their fingers together, even though they’re only walking down the driveway, and she gets distracted by the thrum of Lena’s pulse. 

Though they separate to climb into the SUV, once they’re out of the gated community and on the freeway, Lena reaches out and Kara slips their hands together easily. No hesitation. No pausing to consider if this is for the cover, if it’s necessary when there’s no one to see them, no wondering what it means, the motivations behind it. 

It’s _nice._

Neither pulls away the entire drive. 

*****

They’re nearly a half-hour early for the meeting, thanks to a GPS-prompted detour that shaved off just over fifteen minutes from the expected time.

“I guess we might as well order.”

Lena chuckles, unsurprised that Kara’s first thought is having time to eat. 

The blonde orders a club sandwich with a bag of chips and a fountain drink, while Lena asks for a cup of broccoli cheese soup and a bottle of water. They choose a table outside, one the source apparently requested, according to Snapper’s instructions, and sit beside each other. 

“It’s a nice day,” Lena comments, putting an intense amount of concentration into opening her bottle of water so she doesn’t dwell on how she’s itching to take Kara’s hand again. 

“It is.” Kara smiles and tilts her face toward the sun, seeming to bask in it, and Lena thinks she’s glowing. “I’m glad we get to sit outside.”

“Me, too.” She makes a mental note to eat more lunches with Kara out on her balcony instead of simply sitting inside her office. “I think it’s supposed to rain later this week, though.”

Before Kara can comment, their food arrives and that earns all of her attention. Kara digs into her sandwich and manages to open the bag of chips without putting the sandwich down and Lena is admittedly a little impressed. Not by her manners, surely, but at least by her determination and single-minded focus. 

_Or maybe not as single-minded as I thought,_ Lena muses, Kara’s free hand settling against her knee for a long moment, leaving behind a warmth that finds Lena’s leg pressing against Kara’s. 

Kara grins from around a mouthful of turkey and returns the gentle pressure. 

Lena hides a smile and pulls a spoonful of soup to her lips. _You told her to just go with it,_ she reminds herself, _so now you just deal with it. Acceptance is fine, but don’t reciprocate too much. Only what she’s comfortable with. Don’t let her see how real this feels._

The timing works out well and they’re just finishing their meals when a man joins their table, taking the chair across from Lena. He’s probably in his early forties, though Kara isn’t exceptionally skilled at guessing human ages, with sea-green eyes set in a sun-weathered face and a dark, well-trimmed beard kept short. 

“Snapper sent you?” He wastes no time. 

“Yes.”

“Travis,” he says, accepting their introductions with a nod and a brief handshake. “I was the landscaper at Arcadum.”

“Was?” Kara echoes, withdrawing her notebook and pen. 

“Worked there from back when it was still breaking ground until last month.”

“What happened?” 

Travis waits for the waitress to collect the empty plates and go on her way before he responds. “It wasn’t anything big, at first, you know? Just weird stuff. I’d already started the landscaping as the houses were being built but the owner, Gregory Velan, came around and wanted me to add a lemon tree to every front yard.” Travis shrugs. “I tried to compromise by putting them in the backyard, because if you have people that ignore a fruit-bearing tree, it gets ugly real quick, but he insisted.”

Lena lifts an eyebrow in Kara’s direction, mirroring the woman’s skepticism. If an overbearing owner was the first sign of weird, she was beginning to doubt the meat of the story. 

“So, I did like he asked and planted the trees. They weren’t all put in at the same time, just because not all the yards were ready, but I got all fifty yards done within three months, as the houses went up around them.” He pauses to flag the waitress down and ask for a bottled water. “People started moving in, just two families at first, young couples, but then it filled up fast. After about four months of the community being opened, almost all the houses were taken. All couples, but,” his gaze shifts between Lena and Kara, “that’s kind of the requirement, I guess.”

Kara scribbles a few notes. “You told Snapper there was something strange about the residents?”

“Right. So within like a month of everyone settling in, I expected to see some of the lemon trees needing some upkeep or extra attention, you know, maybe clearing out dead fruit that had fallen, things like that.” Travis takes a sip from the bottle of water when it arrives. Kara watches for any sign of nerves, but his hands are steady, he doesn’t seem like a man trying to sell a lie. “Never found a rotted lemon. All the trees bore the same amount of fruit, even the ones that were supposed to be a few months younger, they seemed to catch up somehow. I even saw the women picking them on the same day, like they’d planned it.

“Everyone was always on the same page, somehow. Like at five-fifteen, the gate was almost held open for a solid twenty minutes while everyone came home from work, and no matter what, the routine was the same.” He holds the cap to his water bottle against his palm with three fingers, hand gesturing as he mimics the actions he’s describing. “The husband gets out of the car, checks the mailbox, waves to each neighbor, then goes inside the house. Every car is parked in the garage.” Travis screws the lid back on the bottle. “The few times I saw a car out front, it was because the couple had just moved in, but after three or four days, no more car in the driveway.”

Kara gives him a slight nod to continue. 

“Anyway, I also mowed the lawns and maintained the hedges and did a little handyman stuff sometimes. It’s daytime work, you know, so I never stayed much past dusk. But last month I’d been fixing a sprinkler head that kept getting stuck and I forgot my toolbox by the side gate of this house.” He clears his throat and scratches at his jaw for a moment. “I didn’t realize until about eight-thirty but I figured, I have a code to the gate, might as well just slip in and get it. Not like I thought they’d be stolen, but I don’t like leaving stuff at a site.

“So around nine o’clock I come in through the gate. I parked my truck near the corner and killed the lights so I wouldn’t shine in anyone’s windows and walked a few houses down to where I knew I left my toolbox. Every single house I passed, the front light came on. Sometimes I’d see the blinds move a little, but mostly, it was just… I could tell. I was being watched.”

Kara scrunches up her nose. “Maybe they were motion-activated.”

He shakes his head vigorously. “No, all the lights are manual.”

“It seems quiet in the evening,” Lena admits, “maybe you startled them?”

Travis shrugs. “I get that, but they all knew me by then. Someone could have opened a door and I’d have explained. Instead, they just watched me. Even after I grabbed my toolbox and got back in my truck, I could still feel it.” 

He drains the last of his water and begins tearing at a bit of the label. “When I came back two days later for the regularly scheduled lawn service, Mr. Velan asked me why I’d been by after dark. I didn’t… I wasn’t even near his house, so the residents must have told him. I explained about the toolbox and he smiled, and I don’t know if you’ve met him, but his smile is kinda off, and he said I should have just called him and he’d have held onto it for me until I could come get it the next day.”

“That seems reasonable,” Kara comments. 

Travis frowns deeply. “No, I know, it’s just… it was weird. He was very concerned about why I’d been there when it was dark. Then he said they’d decided to go with someone else for the landscaping and he fired me.”

“Do you know who the new person they hired was?”

“No.”

“You said all the houses were rented out when you left?” Lena asks.

“Yeah.”

She glances at Kara. “We’re renting 450 Petrie, do you know anything about the couple that lived there before?”

Travis thinks for a moment but then shrugs. “They all kind of blended together,” he admits.

Kara taps her pen against her notebook. “Is there anything else you can think of?”

“How long have you guys been there?”

“Just a day, so far.”

He sighs. “Give it a little longer, you’ll see. I know it sounds crazy, but there’s something strange and I think everyone there is in on it.”

Kara flips her notebook closed. “We’ll keep an eye out,” she assures him. “Do you want to give me your number, in case we need to contact you with any other questions?”

He pushes back from the table. “No, I’ve told you all I know. I’m done with that place.” He leaves them with a, “Be careful,” and then he’s gone.

Kara looks at Lena and shrugs. “I guess that’s all we get.” Kara pulls her phone from the pocket of her jeans and sends a quick message to Snapper, letting him know they completed the meeting with his source. _Not sure what we’ll find, but I have a few things I want to check out tonight,_ she concludes. 

“Ready to get going?” she asks Lena.

“If we want to make it back in time for dinner.”

“You drove on the way up here, want me to drive back?” When Lena hesitates, Kara raises one hand. “I’ll use the turn signal,” she promises.

Lena hands over the keys and Kara grins, looping her arm through Lena’s as they get up from the table. 

*****

Kara figures she must be doing a good job on the drive home when Lena falls asleep less than ten minutes into the journey. 

Lena has tucked her chin into her shoulder, breathing deeply, hand slack in Kara’s. She’d taken it when she settled into the passenger seat and simply hadn’t let go. 

That’s completely fine with Kara. She can still hit the turn signal with her left hand. 

And besides, if Lena is asleep, her driving must be much smoother. 

She’s a little proud. 

She glances at her passenger and is vaguely aware of the heavy thump deep in her chest. 

The casual clothes and hair cascading across her shoulders (meant to throw off anyone who thought they might recognize her as a certain CEO) are affecting Kara more than she expected. 

It isn’t as though Kara doesn’t appreciate Lena’s designer dresses and business suits - Rao, it isn’t that at all - because of course she does. Lena is beautiful in anything that she wears, she knows. But this casual dress, jeans especially, with sweaters or cotton t-shirts, keeping her hair loose, it’s a look she just isn’t used to seeing on Lena. 

More… relaxed.

Domestic? Maybe that was it.

Kara likes it. 

Lena had said it was okay if they just never really left their roles, so that meant it couldn’t be all bad if Kara just went with it, right? 

If she just… imagined it was real?

She’d still be conscious of Lena’s comfort, of course. 

But maybe she could stop holding back. 

If this was all she got, she might as well live it to the fullest, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the life of me, I swear I thought National City was San Francisco. Apparently it's supposed to be more in the vicinity of Los Angeles. Anyhow, Union City is intended to be some fictional place. Imagine Riverside, if you're familiar with SoCal.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner with the neighbors.

As much as Kara tries to be quiet, it’s the beeping of the keypad that wakes Lena. 

She blinks and stretches in her seat, throwing her arms in front of her and spreading her fingers, pulling her hand free from Kara’s for the first time, shrugging her shoulders as the gate rolls open. 

“I didn’t mean to fall asleep,” she says in apology.

Kara grins. “I guess my driving must have improved.”

Lena returns the smile. “Yes, thank you.” She shifts to a more comfortable position, wincing at the pull in her lower back. She glances at the clock in the dash and it displays 4:53. “Oh good, I have time for a shower before we have to go to dinner.”

Kara puts the car in park in the driveway. She glances at the houses on either side. “You know, Travis is right. I haven’t seen any cars parked outside the garage.”

“Have we looked through the CC&Rs? Maybe it’s in the standards of the homeowner’s association.”

“Maybe. If we don’t find out from Megan and, um, I think it was Gary, I’ll go through that binder with all the rules.” She really hopes Megan can tell them more. While she might end up reading the Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions just as background for the article, she wasn’t planning on doing it so soon. 

Kara eyes the lemon tree as they walk inside the house. It looks sinister, somehow, and she shakes her head. _Research, corroborate,_ she instructs herself, _don’t simply believe._

Lena heads for the shower to help ease the knot in her back.

Kara grabs a half-gallon of chocolate milk from the fridge but before she can pour a glass, she remembers what Travis said about everyone coming home around the same time.

It's a little past five. 

She stands at the front window, peering through the blinds, drinking from the jug as she waits. There's no view of the front gate from their block, but at nearly 5:15 on the dot, a string of cars comes down the road and within three minutes, all residents on Petrie Drive have returned home from work. The garage doors open, cars pull in, garage doors slide shut, thirty seconds later the man of the house emerges to check the mailbox, wave at the neighbors doing the same, and then everyone disappears into their homes. 

_Definitely weird. But what's the story?_

Kara empties the container of milk and sighs, rinsing the jug and tossing it in the recycling bin. 

The shower is still running, so Kara calls her sister. 

“Hey, how’s it going?” Alex answers, and Kara can hear the TV in the background for a moment before it’s muted. 

Kara fills her in on the source meeting and the basics of the information Travis provided. “So, nothing concrete, but we have dinner with a neighbor tonight so we’ll see what else we can find out.”

“Sounds pretty boring so far.” Alex grins so hard Kara can almost hear it. “How’s living with Lena?

Kara groans and rolls her eyes. “Stop it.”

“How’s _dating_ Lena?”

“You’re the worst.”

Alex cackles. “That good, huh? Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“I’m hanging up now.”

“Tell Lena I said hi!”

Kara ends the call and huffs a sigh. 

“Everything okay?” Lena asks, her voice carrying from the bedroom. 

“Just Alex being Alex. She says hi.”

Kara hears the blow dryer run for a minute and then Lena is walking into the living room. She’s in socked feet, wearing dark jeans and a maroon shirt with three-quarter length sleeves, carrying a pair of tennis shoes in one hand. Her hair is still slightly damp as it lays across her shoulders and down her back. 

Lena sits on the couch for a moment to pull on her shoes.

She glances up when she realizes the other woman hasn’t said a word. “Kara?”

Kara blinks rapidly and takes a half-step forward, brain still catching up with the rest of her, and she says, “You’re beautiful.”

Lena relaxes, chuckles, and stands. “Flattery will get you everywhere.” 

“I’m not, I mean…” Kara sighs. She pushes her glasses up her nose. “I’m not just saying that.”

A kiss ghosts against her cheek. “Thank you, then.” Lena squeezes her arm gently. “Ready for dinner?”

“I could eat,” Kara shrugs, feigning disinterest, and Lena laughs. 

They hold hands even on the brief walk to the house next door and Lena doesn’t let herself think about how natural it feels, as Kara knocks to announce their presence, using her right hand so she doesn’t have to let go.

Megan opens the door a few moments later to greet them, smiling broadly. “Come in!” she says, stepping back to allow them room to enter. The woman’s shoulder-length brown hair lays in loose curls and her hazel eyes brighten at her guests. She’s barefoot, wearing comfortable sweatpants and a large shirt, all of which makes sense to Lena when it becomes clear the woman is very pregnant.

“You must be Lena.”

“And you must be Megan,” Lena replies, removing her hand from Kara’s so she can politely greet their host, “thank you so much for inviting us.”

“Oh, we just love getting to know our neighbors!” She takes Kara’s hand briefly as well and then waves her hand around, encompassing the entryway and the living room. “I’d offer you a tour, but with the exception of some differences in decor, we have the same house,” she giggles. “Gary is finishing up in the kitchen, come with me, we can go to the dining room. Would you like to wash up first?”

A few minutes later, everyone is seated around the table, and Lena admires the place settings with honest appraisal. 

“They were my mother’s,” Gary explains, reaching for the large salad bowl which seems to shrink in his grasp. He’s a large man with broad shoulders, easily well over six-feet tall, close-cropped black hair and a well-kept beard, and while his chiseled facial features and dark brown eyes could easily appear cold, one glance at his wife and he’s absolute mush, which Kara finds adorable. “She gave them to us on our wedding day.”

“They’re beautiful,” Kara echoes, eyeing the dishes and their contents, hoping her grumbling stomach isn’t audible. 

Gary piles salad into bowls for himself and Megan, then passes it across the table to Lena, who adds a healthy amount for herself and then hands the bowl to Kara, trying to hide her smirk. 

“This, ah, this looks great.” 

Kara’s smile is overly-bright and Lena turns her chuckle into a cough and takes a drink of water. She wonders a little at the taste, guessing they must be on well water instead of city water, and the housewarming gift makes a little more sense, something to mask the slightly bitter flavor of their tap water. The lemonade is still too sweet for her to enjoy, at least Megan’s batch, so she makes a note to try to her hand at mixing it herself.

Kara takes what she hopes is an acceptable amount of salad, trying to get more dressing and croutons than spinach. She stabs her fork into the bowl, aiming for the highest dressing-to-greens ratio she can manage and shoves it into her mouth. 

Lena clears her throat. “How long have you two been married?” 

“Four years now,” Gary smiles, digging into the bowl in front of him, “but we dated for almost three years before that. What about you two? Are you married?”

Kara chokes on a crouton. Her hand flails to assure everyone she’s fine and she gulps down half a glass of water as Lena rubs her back. 

“Not yet,” Lena begins, and Kara sputters her water, narrowly avoiding another coughing fit. “We’ve been dating for just over a year and when this one asked me to move in with her,” she tucks a bit of blonde hair behind Kara’s ear, “we decided it would be nice to get a place of our own together.”

Kara nods her agreement with the story, then turns when she feels Lena’s hand on her shoulder. The concern there is real and Kara smiles. “I’m okay,” she promises, tilting her head to brush her cheek against the back of Lena’s knuckles. 

“How did you meet?” Gary asks. 

“My sister met Lena at a conference and introduced us a few weeks later,” Kara replies, then piles more salad onto her fork in her attempt to get it over with in as few bites as possible. 

“Was it love at first sight?” Megan gushes. 

Lena chuckles. “Well, I have to admit to flirting shamelessly at the beginning. How could I not?”

Kara blinks at her, quickly chewing and swallowing her last mouthful of salad. _What? What does that mean? Are you… what’s happening right now?_ “Yeah, ha, you did. It took me a while to realize it was intentional, I thought you were just being friendly.”

“I was, and you were adorably oblivious,” Lena smiles. She looks to their hosts. “Kara and I hit it off and we became friends almost immediately. She’s always been there for me.”

“Oh, well,” Kara adjusts her glasses twice, “I mean, it’s so easy to be friends with her.” She reaches over and tangles her fingers with Lena’s. _Keep it close to the truth._ “And it was even easier to fall in love.”

Lena squeezes her hand, desperately trying to read Kara while not letting on that her heart is about to beat out of her chest. 

Kara flashes her a sunny grin and then looks to Megan, her hand never leaving Lena’s. “How did you guys meet?” 

“High school sweethearts, actually,” Gary laughs, leaning his head against his wife’s for a moment. “We met Sophomore year and we’ve been inseparable ever since.”

Megan places a kiss on his shoulder. “We didn’t date right away, even though I think we both knew there was something there.” She nudges him playfully and he rolls his eyes. “We started dating just after college, when we both moved back to National City for work and realized we’d never lost contact.”

“When we moved in yesterday, Megan mentioned you were at work,” Kara prompts Gary. “What do you do?”

“I’m an accountant for a large media corporation. I don’t normally have to work on Saturdays, it’s one of the reasons I love my job, but I got called in yesterday to handle somewhat of a financial emergency.

“What do you do, Kara?” 

Lena bites her lip, curious to see how Kara handles it.

Kara scratches her nose. “I’m, um, I’m a writer, actually.”

“Oh!” Megan lights up. “What do you write?”

“I’m actually, it’ll be my first novel. It’s, well, more sci-fi, really. I nearly have the first draft finished which is great, because it’s due to my editor in a few weeks.” She smiles, mirroring Megan’s excitement. “I’m hoping to have the final draft done by the end of the year.” She glances at Lena. “I’m just glad Lena’s willing to date an aspiring author.”

Lena chuckles fondly. “Well, my coding skills keep a roof over our head,” she acknowledges, “but you know I’d live in a box as long as you were next to me.”

“What script do you code?” Gary asks, as Megan coos over the pair. 

Kara’s insanely glad the question is a follow up for Lena because she’s fairly certain if she tried to open her mouth at the moment, Kryptonian would fall out. It isn’t often her brain short-circuits enough to fall back into her native tongue, but apparently the idea of Lena as a _hopeless romantic_ over Kara herself has that precise effect.

“I started in Python, but most of what I’ve been doing lately has been C++ or a little Java.”

Gary perks up, a smile on his face, and he peppers Lena with a few questions about coding and Kara’s heart beats faster for a moment, wondering if their cover is about to be blown, but Lena simply returns Gary’s smile and answers easily.

“We’ll have to compare notes some time,” he says, shaking his head, “because I have a feeling your foundation in C++ is a lot better than mine.” He pushes his chair back and stands. “Are we all ready for the main course?”

At the general murmur of agreement, and Kara’s excited nod, he chuckles and takes the salad bowls into the kitchen, returning a moment later with large serving bowls of mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus. 

Kara raises an eyebrow, expecting perhaps a steak to be the main dish to accompany those sides. 

Gary deposits a plate in front of each of them. 

Lena immediately glances at Kara to gauge her reaction. 

Kara stares, in somewhat of a mild panic, eyes darting at everyone’s plate to see if they all had the same thing, then, when that turns out to be depressingly true, she scans the side dishes again, hoping something else might have appeared. 

She swallows. 

On her plate is a large yellow bell pepper, stuffed with what she can identify as black beans, corn, quinoa, and a variety of spices, maybe some salsa. 

She thinks back to the salad, which was completely void of any cheese or chicken or bacon. 

Kara licks her lips. “Oh, this is, um… you’re vegan?”

Gary smiles. “Oh, yeah. We all are here in Arcadum.”

Kara knows it isn’t physically possible but she’s certain her heart stops. “Everyone?”

“Sure,” Megan says casually, oblivious to Kara’s terror. “It’s just one of those things, you know? As a community, we all spend so much time together, we share so many meals, plus the weekly barbecue, it’s just something we’ve all kind of picked up.”

“The barbecue?” Kara echoes weakly. Her last hope. 

“We’ll grill some zucchini, some pineapple, a few ears of corn, maybe even some portobello mushrooms. It’ll be great.”

Lena puts a hand on her knee, anticipating Kara’s shock. Kara grabs at her hand, staring wide-eyed at her for a moment, as if trying to communicate how dangerously close she is to bolting and telling Snapper she can’t possibly work under these conditions. 

Then Lena draws her hand up, kissing her palm, raising one eyebrow slightly, promising with the warm breath against her skin that she can do this. 

Kara takes a deep lungful of air, thumb caressing Lena’s cheek again before she takes her hand back and turns to her plate, assessing it as though it’s an alien menace that she has to strategize how to defeat. 

“It’s so interesting that you’ve all adopted veganism,” Lena says, adding a spoonful of mashed potatoes to her plate and then giving Kara an extra-large helping. “I was a vegetarian throughout college but I just couldn’t find an acceptable cheese alternative to make the turn to full vegan.”

The three of them chat idly about nutritional yeast and soy protein and all sorts of _terrible_ things while Kara looks on, methodically making her way through the meal one bite at a time, determined to be a polite guest. It doesn’t actually taste that bad, she has to admit, but quinoa is something she could have done without - she’d tried it once, for Lena, and she’d so hoped that would be the first and last time. 

“How long have you lived here in Arcadum?” Lena asks, and Kara turns her attention back to the conversation. 

Gary taps his fingers on the table as he counts in his head. “Fourteen months,” he says at last, “we moved in not long after it opened.”

“What drew you here?”

“The inclusion,” Megan replies, “and the focus on family.” She glances at her husband. “We never experienced any blatant problems in our old neighborhood, but… when we saw the news reports as the first couples began moving in, we saw two interracial couples already and their interviews made it seem like they were so happy, we thought we might be able to find that here, too.”

Gary nods. “And, well, we’d been trying to get pregnant for years, but nothing worked.” He smiles when Megan slips her hand into his. “We were stressed and fighting and decided moving someplace new, for a new start, might be just what we needed. When we saw that Arcadum had a focus on couples and families, we figured there might be some people here who would understand our struggles.” He smiles at Lena and Kara. “All that stress fell away after we moved in, and less than a year later, we found out we were pregnant.”

“I’m due August 21st,” Megan adds, smiling at their congratulations. 

“Since you’ve been here so long,” Kara says, “do you know what happened to the family that used to live in our house?”

“Oh, it just didn’t work out.” Gary stands and begins collecting empty plates. “I’ll get dessert.”

Lena follows. “I’ll give you a hand.”

“You and Lena are so cute,” Megan whispers when Lena steps into the kitchen, and she grins at Kara’s blush. 

“She’s the best, you know? I’m really lucky to have her in my life.”

“It’s hard to believe you’ve only been dating a year. You’re both so in love.”

She bites her lip, wondering if she might be going over the top with her adoration. “Oh. That’s, yeah, I guess that’s true.”

“What’s true?” Lena asks, carrying two small plates with slices of apple pie, though one piece is noticeably larger than the other.

“I was just telling Kara that you two are clearly in love and it’s beautiful to see.”

Lena smiles and puts the plates down in front of Kara and Megan, giving Kara the larger piece, then curls one hand at the back of Kara’s neck, scratching gently. “Thank you,” is all she says, kissing the top of Kara’s head when the blonde leans into her. 

She returns to her seat as Gary sets the other two plates on the table. “Did you know the family next door?” Lena tries again.

Megan shakes her head. “They only stayed a few weeks.”

Kara is thoroughly enjoying the pie and says as much, smiling when Lena slides the last half of her own slice onto Kara’s plate. 

“I can send you home with the rest,” Megan offers, and laughs when she can tell Kara gives it a split-second of serious consideration before politely declining. 

The small talk tapers off once Kara has finished both pieces of pie and then everyone stands to help clear the table, minus Megan, who has three sets of eyes firmly encouraging her to remain seated. 

“Thank you so much for having us over,” Lena says, helping Kara load the dishwasher as Gary puts leftovers into plastic containers. 

“It’s no problem, honest. We’re a pretty close-knit community, you’re always welcome.”

Megan tells them the same thing as they head for the door, and she insists on hugs from each of them. Lena is polite but warm and Kara is positive she’s never given such a delicate embrace in her entire Earth-bound life, as it’s the first time she’s found herself wrapping her arms around a pregnant woman. 

“Good night!”

Lena waits until they’re at the bottom of the driveway before she pokes Kara gently in the side. “I was afraid you were going to waste away in there.”

“ _Lena,_ ” she whines, “I’m so _hungry_.”

She laughs and wraps an arm around her. “Come on, it’s not quite seven-thirty. How about we heat up a pizza for you?”

She turns her head and presses her nose into Lena’s hair. “You’re the best.”

“So you’ve said. Wouldn’t do to let my girlfriend starve, now would it?”

Kara trips over both feet but she rights herself at the last moment. She considers trying to play it off, maybe looking back over her shoulder as though to determine what her foot got caught on, but she shrugs and accepts her blush at Lena’s smirk. 

*****

A half-hour later, Kara is sitting cross-legged on the couch, devouring her extra dinner, while Lena sits beside her and tries not to stare. 

“You know how I said your iron stomach was more impressive than gross?”

“Yeah…” Kara drawls, shoving the last bit of pepperoni pizza into her mouth. 

“An entire pizza in ten minutes might have changed my mind.”

“Sorry.” 

Lena pats her knee gently and returns her attention to her laptop, now that she doesn’t have to listen to Kara scarfing down her food. “It’s okay. It’s just a reminder for me to not let you get that hungry again.”

_Awwww._ Kara smiles and rests her head on Lena’s shoulder, earning a chuckle, but Lena makes no effort to move her, so Kara snuggles closer. She’s watching the TV, carefully not reading emails on the computer screen, but sits up when a story about Supergirl airs. 

She can hear the news report, highlighting the hero’s interaction with a metahuman. Kara views the video clip closely, making sure J’onn wasn’t injured (he wasn’t) and that he was able to take care of the opponent without too much trouble (he was, just needed some super speed and strength).

Lena watches her watch the news. “She’s okay,” she says, at last. Kara blinks a few times, confused. “The fight. Looks like Supergirl handled it just fine.”

“Oh, right.” Kara nods. “Yeah, she had it under control.”

“You two are… close?”

“I… we’re friends,” because that’s the truth, though Lena doesn’t know she’s referring to the Martian. She shrugs a little. “I worry.”

“Hm.” 

Kara raises an eyebrow. “What?”

“I wondered, for a time, before Mon-El, if maybe you two weren’t dating. You and Supergirl,” she clarifies, when Kara isn’t making the connection. 

“Oh!” She laughs, though Lena thinks it’s a little nervous, a little forced. “No, we, we’ve never dated. Just friends, you know.” Her glasses slide down her nose and she pushes them back up. “That’s all.”

Kara gets to her feet before she breaks her plate due to nervous energy. “I’m gonna go for a walk while you finish your emails. See what there is to see in this place after dark.”

“Be careful.”

Kara puts her plate in the sink, grabs a bottle of water from the refrigerator to replace the empty one on the coffee table and hands it to Lena, leaning over to kiss her cheek gently. “I will,” she promises.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a lot of fun writing the dinner scene - hope you all enjoyed it, too!
> 
> Also, looks like I'll be adding at least another chapter or two before this thing is over.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Surveillance, revelations, and a barbecue!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a longer chapter this time.
> 
> I love seeing your comments as you all try to work out what's going to happen next! :)

It’s nearly full dark when Kara steps outside. The street lights have already flickered on which means she’ll have no chance of not being seen, but that’s okay; tonight is just the first walk-through. She wants to check for the existence of motion-sensors on anyone’s front porch light and see if her movements after dark bring about any scrutiny. 

She groans as Lena’s words ring in her head. _No, I’m not dating Supergirl, but… have you thought that maybe Supergirl would be interested in dating you?_ She rolls her eyes at the phrase, deeming it one of her more ridiculous attempts. 

_Tell her. Tell her, tell her, tell her! **Tell. Her.**_

She stands just outside the door and bounces up and down on her toes with every furious thought, careful to actually land gently and not take flight, but it helps work off some of the frustration at herself.

_Tell her who you are._

She almost turns around and storms back inside to do just that. 

_No, not yet. You still have a job to do and you can’t just drop this on her while you’re in forced close-quarters. Finish the article. Find out what’s here. Then, after._

Yeah, as she thinks it through, she likes the idea of _later._

_Take her out to dinner, thank her for shifting everything around at L-Corp to do this, then, because she deserves to know, tell her who you are._

With that decided, Kara sets off down the driveway. 

She turns to her right first, walking past the four houses and then taking the corner. The light turns on by the second house as soon as she steps across the boundary that would mark the beginning of their property. There’s no movement at the blinds but when the last house on the corner flicks on their lights as she crosses the sidewalk, she feels she’s being watched. 

Slipping her glasses down her nose for a moment, she checks the mechanisms in the porch light - no motion sensors. 

She sweeps her gaze across the houses she’s passed and finds two occupants in each, standing near their front window. 

They’re just staring out at her, they don’t seem to be speaking to each other, she doesn’t hear any conversations from within the houses, no one appears to be on their cell phone… so how do they know she’s there? How does each resident know to turn on their porch light? Is the signal simply that their neighbor flips theirs on?

_Talk about a vigilant neighborhood watch._

Kara cleans her lenses absently on her shirt, as if to excuse the break in her movements, and then she continues around the corner. 

All twelve houses on Anderson Drive, the street behind Petrie… each time she nears a house, although she remains on the sidewalk, it’s always the same thing.

No one opens their door to ask her what she’s doing, but they all keep an eye on her.

There’s a small path winding around toward the large pool and clubhouse area. Kara follows it leisurely. There’s no one else out at this time of night, apparently, as the heartbeats she can hear all remain behind her in the houses. 

A playground suitable for small children has been plopped into the middle of the large patch of grass on the other side of the road from the pool. Benches are situated nearby and Kara can make out two large grills. She hasn’t seen any kids in the neighborhood yet but guesses this is where the barbecue will be held. 

_Vegan barbecue,_ she reminds herself with a shudder. She expects there to be tears at some point during the block party. _Probably when I have to pretend to like zucchini._

She makes a circuit around the playground, finding it a little creepy, as it sits quiet and abandoned at this hour, and admittedly gives it a wide berth. 

She walks over to Fox Drive, the third and final block of the community, beginning to time the front porch lights as she goes. They switch on almost exactly every forty seconds, which matches her steady pace down the sidewalk. 

It’s when she turns back onto Petrie that the thought hits her. 

_When are you going to tell her you love her?_

Kara stops in her tracks. That’s… that’s crazy. 

Okay, sure, she’s attracted to Lena. Who wouldn’t be? And she enjoys spending time with her, whether it’s work or watching movies or out to lunch. And there’s something about her smile that just sends Kara’s heart out of rhythm, but that’s nothing more than simple attraction.

 _So I’m attracted to her,_ she admits, _that’s fine. And dating her in real life, that would be pretty amazing, I bet. But I’m not_ \- she remembers her words to Megan, about how easy it had been to fall - _shit._

_I’m **so** in love with her. _

*****

Lena is in the master bathroom when Kara returns. Kara paces for a few moments, anxious after her revelation, but then sits down and clasps her hands together in her lap, not wanting to let Lena see that she’s nervous.

“Oh,” Lena jumps a little when she exits and finds Kara sitting on the bed, “I didn’t hear you come in.” She’s changed into a powder blue silk camisole with matching pants and Kara stares for a moment before realizing Lena said something.

“I just got back.” Kara runs a hand through her hair, pulling a good portion loose from the ponytail. “I’m, ah, can I jump in the shower real quick?”

“Of course. It’s all yours.”

Kara grabs her pajamas and steps into the bathroom, stripping down, running the water as hot as it will go and then standing under the spray. She notices the steam far more than the temperature.

 _So, when we go out to dinner after all this, does this mean I have two things to tell her? Do I tell her I’m in love with her? Rao, what if she’s not… if she doesn’t feel the same, what if it makes things awkward?_

She sighs, water sputtering against her mouth. _So what if it does? Telling her I’m Supergirl might ruin things, too. She still deserves to know._ She reaches for her shampoo. _And maybe, maybe I can take the next week here and think about how I want to say it. Really come up with something good._

_Yeah. I can do that._

Donning her comfortable sleep pants and shirt after her shower, Kara steps out of the bathroom, puts her clothes in the laundry hamper and reaches for the pillow and blanket she’d used the night before. 

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Lena asks quietly. 

Kara pauses, blanket in hand. “What do you mean?”

“Well, Megan was already asking questions this morning… if we don’t want to cause any problems for our cover, it might be best if you slept here.”

“Oh, right.” Kara swallows. “Would you mind…?”

“Not at all.”

Kara hopes her smile doesn’t betray her nerves. “Okay. You know, I kind of sprawl in my sleep like I said, so just kick me back over to my side if you need to.”

Lena laughs. “I’m not really a snuggler by nature so I think we’ll be fine.”

Kara leaves the blanket on the foot of the bed and climbs under the covers, fluffing her pillow a few times. She lays down and stares at the ceiling in silence, trying to avoid thinking of Lena lying within arm’s reach.

_Why did I have to realize **tonight** that I have actual feelings for my best friend? If I didn’t know better, I’d blame Alex for this cruel timing. _

“Kara, I want to apologize.”

Kara turns her head and blinks at Lena in the darkness. “For what?”

“I think… if I made you uncomfortable earlier, when I mentioned Mon-El. I know it -“

“Hey, no, you didn’t say anything wrong.” She shifts onto her side, finding Lena’s arm and giving it a brief squeeze. “It’s okay, really. I’m over anything romantic I felt for him. I still, yeah, I still worry about how he’s doing, I wish I could contact him to know he’s okay,” she admits, “but I’ve moved on from the relationship. And Lena, I’ll say this again, I don’t blame you, okay? I never did. Not for a minute. You saved everyone.”

“But it meant he had to leave.”

“Yeah. But it…,” she takes a breath and holds it for a moment, hating having to stretch the truth, “if it had been up to me, I’d have made the same choice. Okay?”

Lena doesn’t believe forgiveness can be that simple, but she appreciates the reassurance. She clears her throat. “You were gone for awhile. What did you find out there?”

“A creepy playground, but no automatic motion sensor lights. And I think I confirmed what Travis was saying, it sure seemed like I was being watched as I walked around the block.”

Lena frowns. “That doesn’t sound safe. Next time, I’m going with you.”

Kara smiles warmly at the offer of protection. “I’d like that.” Then she groans and throws her arm across her face. “Dang it, I forgot Snapper wants an update tomorrow morning. I should at least throw a basic outline together of what we’ve found so far. Will it bother you if I bring out my laptop? I can go in the living room.”

Lena puts a hand on her arm before she can get up. “It won’t bother me. Stay.”

Kara reaches for her laptop which she’d left on the bedside table and sits up, propping herself up on an extra pillow. She works quickly, despite Lena’s assurances, and when she closes her laptop fifteen minutes later, it’s to the gentle sound of the woman beside her snoring. 

She smiles as her eyes adjust quickly to the darkened room, and she can easily make out Lena’s profile. She thinks how peaceful she looks, how beautiful, how graceful the lines in her neck and the back of her hand, visible as she lays her palm against the pillow near her head. Black hair obscures most of her face but Kara reaches out and tucks it away, caressing the delicate raise of strong cheekbones. 

She sighs and gets a hold of herself while she still can, replacing the laptop on the table and shifting underneath the covers. This puts her nose-to-nose with Lena and she feels a breath enter her lungs but it’s more of a strangled gasp, it’s an intake of breath without the oxygen to go with it, and she tries again, overwhelmed at the nearness of the woman before her. 

Closing her eyes, Kara rolls over onto her back and begins going over conversions between Earth and Kryptonian measurements until she falls asleep. 

*****

Lena wakes first, taking in her position to find that Miss “sprawls-a-lot” does indeed have limbs flailing all over the bed, but Lena herself, supposedly Miss “I-don’t-snuggle”, is curled up against Kara’s left side. That the blonde is diagonal across the bed and so her left side is technically entirely on Lena’s side of the bed is not important. 

What is important is the moment realization hits Lena, when she registers exactly where she is (head on Kara’s shoulder, forehead against her neck, arm thrown low across her stomach, hand resting near her right hip, legs intertwined because otherwise they’d hang off the bed) her first reaction is not to bolt upright, as she’d thought it should be. Before she can stop herself, she grabs a fistful of Kara’s shirt and tugs her closer for a small hug, a squeeze of tenderness before she has to get up and pretend it didn't happen, so neither of them are embarrassed. 

Kara sighs at the motion and clutches an arm around Lena’s shoulders, chin digging into the side of her head briefly, but then she relaxes, keeping a loose hold and settling back into sleep.

Lena exhales a single long, slow breath. This has not made it any easier to get up. 

_Damn it._

She has emails she needs to check and she should call Jess to see how everything went over the weekend. 

But she doesn’t actually have to get up and go to work.

And a squint at the bedside clock on Kara’s table tells her it’s not quite six. 

Jess isn’t even in yet. 

She can just go back to sleep, enjoy this a little longer. 

And she does. 

*****

Kara wakes a little after seven, pausing in mid-stretch when she notices a slight pull against her left arm. 

Lena. The woman rolled over at some point in her sleep, her back to Kara, but her head is resting on Kara’s arm, their fingers tangled gently, hands barely touching. 

Kara swallows. How is she supposed to get up without disturbing Lena? She doesn’t want to wake her, as chances for sleeping in seem rare for the self-proclaimed workaholic, but Rao it’s almost too much. The temptation to just put her other arm around Lena’s waist, to pull her close and fall back asleep with the woman tucked against her, its almost more than she can take. 

Lena shifts her head closer to Kara’s shoulder, dark hair brushing her nose and so what if Kara takes a slow breath? Lena’s conditioner smells _incredible._

She considers, for another moment, putting her arm around Lena and holding her tightly, perhaps nuzzling her ear and… well, kissing her shoulder is just too much. 

_No. No snuggling when she’s unaware,_ she tells herself sternly. 

She reaches out with her free hand and retrieves her phone, working one-handed to finish the draft she’d started to Snapper on her laptop the night before. 

She forgets, because she’s disabled the keyboard sounds, that the volume is actually up on her phone, so the _whoosh_ of the email being sent is startling loud. 

Lena stirs awake. 

_Damn it._ “Hey,” she whispers, “sorry, that was my phone. You can go back to sleep.”

Lena pauses, flexes her fingers as if to confirm they’re actually tangled with Kara’s, and rolls over onto her stomach, propping herself up on her elbows. 

“I didn’t mean to be -”

“You’re fine,” Kara insists, heart beating erratically as Lena trails her thumb across the tips of her fingers. 

She throws her hair across her shoulder so it isn’t in her face. “I don’t think I’ve seen you without your glasses on,” she comments. 

Kara nearly shoves two fingers in her eye and slaps herself in the face when she checks. “Oh!” She laughs nervously and grabs the frames from the side table, slipping them on, crooked at first, and then she settles them in place. “Yeah, well, you know, I have to wear them all the time or I can’t see!”

Lena chuckles. “I have to admit I’m glad I only have to wear mine for reading.”

“But, I...” Kara frowns and thinks back, “I’ve never seen you wear glasses?”

“I try to avoid them,” she admits, “I’ve always been a little… self-conscious about it, I guess.”

“Well, you shouldn’t be.”

“Not everyone can make glasses look as good as you do,” she says, and smiles broadly at Kara’s blush. 

Her thumb continues to stroke Kara’s fingers where they’re intertwined and Kara is fairly certain it’s completely unintentional on Lena’s part and it’s making Kara’s stomach do all sorts of twirly things. 

“Have you always had to wear them?”

“Oh, no, just ever since I - um, since I was about thirteen.”

A crease develops as Lena frowns slightly. “What happened?”

Kara belatedly realizes that’s a little late for human children to develop problems with their eyesight and she licks her lips. “I, um, got sick.” She recalls the illness she had on Krypton when she was young. “Really high fever, you know, and when it finally broke, I needed these.”

Lena’s hand squeezes hers in sympathy but the next instant it hits her that she’s been caressing Kara’s hand since she woke up. She tries to disentangle their fingers casually but Kara feels the loss like an ache. 

“That must have been very frightening for you,” she murmurs, adjusting her weight as she prepares to swing her legs off the bed. “I’m sorry to interrupt, I need to brush my teeth before I offend myself.”

Kara laughs. “Doesn’t bother me, but go ahead.” When Lena closes the bathroom door, Kara lifts her pillow from beneath her head and places it over her face, groaning quietly. 

She hears the toilet flush and then the water runs as Lena washes her hands, and continues running intermittently as she brushes her teeth. 

_How can her freaking **thumb** turn me to mush? Rao, this is ridiculous. I have the realization that I love her and then less than twelve hours later it’s like I can’t function. _

A few minutes later, Lena says, amusement clear in her voice, “Are you okay?”

Kara rips the pillow away. “Yep, fine, totally good.” 

“What would you say to breakfast?”

Kara’s stomach growls a response and Lena laughs. 

“Well, that sounds serious. Let’s get you fed.”

As Kara shifts the covers, Lena says, “Maybe one day you’ll let me into your secret of how you can eat as much as you do and still look like that.”

Kara claims the sheets wrapped around her ankle and that’s why she fell the rest of the way out of bed.

*****

At noon, Snapper sends an email indicating Catco is looking through the public records to find the financial data behind Arcadum, including how the construction was funded and how quickly the homes were rented or sold, but he makes no mention of the other angles Kara noted in her message.

Kara stares at her phone. Snapper is the type to scold her for going off track long before he’d guide her to the right path, but she wishes she had at least a _little_ something to go on, something telling her she was investigating the right thing. This is her first big solo assignment and she wants it to be _good._

She fidgets. 

Lena is seated beside her on the couch working on her laptop. She doesn’t look up, but asks, “What’s wrong?”

“What if he doesn’t think it’s worth the time?”

“You’ve only just started to investigate a story he put you on, Kara. I think he’ll give you more than two days to come up with something.” She pats her bouncing knee. “He knows this is in the early stages.”

She bites her lip. “Yeah, okay.”

Lena closes her laptop. “Come on. Let's find something to watch for a few hours until we have to go to the barbecue.”

Kara groans and throws her head back dramatically. “If I die, tell Alex I love her.”

“I'm not going to let you starve,” Lena promises, laughing. “Trust me.”

“I do trust you,” she replies, more solemn than necessary, and she waves a hand to distract from it, “but food is serious business.”

“Clearly.” Lena hands her the remote.

They watch two episodes of a sitcom, at Lena’s request, and then she tells Kara to put on a movie they've both seen and she gets to her feet and heads purposefully into the kitchen. 

Kara finds a Disney movie, the same one she'd made Lena watch when she found out the only Disney film Lena had ever seen was Brave, when she ditched a party in college and found it playing in a nearby theater. Kara grins as the dialogue of a young fish excited by his first day of school comes through the speakers and she turns up the volume.

Five minutes into it, bored without her movie watching buddy, Kara pads into the kitchen, leaving the film playing as background noise. 

“Whatcha doing?” She can see Lena rummaging in the freezer and fridge and messing with a few pans on the stovetop. They have about two hours until the barbecue starts and she knows Lena is looking forward to it; she’s also sure she’ll come home afterward and devour a pizza or two. 

“Shoo,” Lena says, “go watch Finding Nemo. It's a surprise.” _One I'm not sure I can pull off._

“Hey, do I smell baked beans?”

Lena swats at her with a dish towel. 

Kara laughs and pretends to duck away from the assault. “Okay, okay. But it's lonely on that couch without you.” The words are out before she has a chance to think about them and she tries to scramble around some way to cover up the truth in the statement, but Lena rests her hand against Kara’s cheek and quietly assures her she’ll be back on the sofa soon. 

“Okay,” Kara smiles wildly, then immediately heads back to the living room before she can give in to the urge to kiss the woman’s palm and lean into her touch for at least a few more minutes. 

Kara collapses onto the couch. _Way to fail spectacularly at not falling for your best friend._ It's not her fault Lena is amazing - at least, that's her defense. What else could she do besides love her, really? Now that she thinks about it, there's no other option. 

_Might as well just surrender._ That thought makes her smile and distracts her until Lena re-enters the living room some time later. 

“Here you go.” She offers the plate and then stands back to gauge Kara’s reaction. 

The plate is piled high with three hot dogs smothered with chili and cheese, baked beans, and the potato salad with bacon that Kara cheered about when she found at the grocery store. 

“What…?” She scoots over on the couch so Lena has room to sit. “Where’s yours?”

“I'll be fine, but I figured you could use some real food.” 

“You did all this? Just now?”

Lena shrugs. “I didn't want you to miss out on enjoying what you'd consider a real barbecue.” She nudges Kara’s leg. “Eat up.”

Kara sets the plate down on the coffee table. 

“Do you not like -”

Before Lena can finish her slightly panicked question, Kara wraps her arms around her and hugs her firmly, pressing a lingering kiss to her cheek. “Thank you.” She feels Lena return the hug and she squeezes her again gently, wiggling her shoulders a little. “You're the best.”

Lena tries not to let the affection get to her, but she can feel something settling deep in her heart, making itself at home. “Don't let it get cold.” 

*****

The barbecue is in full swing by the time they walk over. Folding tables lined up between the two grills hold a variety of side dishes and snacks - Kara immediately identifies a plate of brownies that she has to try - and a stack of cups are situated at one end of a table, along with three pitchers of iced lemonade. 

Seating is arranged in what Lena would expect to see if they were playing a film, but there’s no portable screen and the wall of the clubhouse is not the focal point in this setup. Several blankets are spread out on the grass about thirty feet from the tables, with four lines of folding chairs behind them, plus three picnic benches under the small covered patio. Most of the residents are milling around the pool or sipping lemonade in the shade, though two men Lena hasn’t met yet are monitoring the grills. 

Lena and Kara arrive hand-in-hand and Megan finds them instantly, coming out from the patio, smiling broadly and hugging them both.

“I'm so glad you're here!” She takes Kara’s free hand and pulls the pair over to one of the folding tables set up next to the grills. “We’ve got fresh lemonade, it's been on ice so it's perfectly chilled,” she gushes, “and Stephen brought his famous homemade hummus if you want something to dip your veggies in.”

The redhead leans over and whispers conspiratorially, “The hummus is great, but I like my veggies naked!” and giggles as she takes a baby carrot from the tray. 

Lena chuckles. “This all looks fantastic, but I think we’ll just get our bearings a little first. Is there a place you recommend we sit?”

“Definitely right up front,” Megan nods sharply, “so you guys get to eat first! As the newest residents, that's kind of our rule,” she smiles again. “Once the grilling is all done, we all line up to get our plates. Though I bet if you go say hi to William,” she gestures to the portly man at the nearest grill, and he waves, “he can get you a few pieces early!”

Megan escorts them to the seating area. “You two are young enough you can probably use the blankets.” She rubs her belly with a sigh. “If I try to get down there, it’ll take half the neighborhood to get me back up again.”

Kara shakes her head as Megan wanders off in search of her husband. She sinks onto the blanket and Lena settles close beside her, which is a welcome surprise.

“I know Travis said every house was full, but it's been so quiet. I didn't expect this many people,” Lena says into Kara’s ear, and the blonde bobs her head in agreement, not trusting her voice when Lena’s breath is hitting her neck. “There must be, what, a hundred people here?”

Kara takes quick stock of the heartbeats in the neighborhood. _Close; 120 people total, 78 here at the barbecue so far._ “Something like that.” She clears her throat softly and turns to look at Lena. She means to say something else, to comment on the use of _hummus_ as a dip, perhaps, but then she realizes how close she is to the other woman. 

Their noses nearly brush when she turns her head, and she can feel Lena’s breath again, against her cheek this time. Kara’s throat feels suddenly parched and she has trouble swallowing for a moment. 

_Rao, I want to kiss her so badly._

_God, I wish I could kiss her._ Lena stops that train of thought before it can get started. “I've, ah, I don't think I've ever seen this many pregnant women at the same time, in the same place.”

Kara gapes at her for another long moment. “What? Oh!” She forces her gaze away from Lena’s and scans the crowd, loosely formed into three smaller groups chatting idly together and one group in the pool.

Lena is right. She counts seven women who are showing about the same amount of pregnant belly as Megan. 

_In fact…_ “Lena. Um. Is it rude to ask a woman when she's due?”

“Only if you haven't already determined for certain that she's pregnant.”

She nods. “Right. I think we should find that out,” she says, “don't you?” When Lena agrees, Kara continues, “Meet you back here?” and then, more loudly, “I'm going to go get some lemonade. Do you want anything?” When Lena assures her she's fine, Kara presses a kiss to the top of her head as she rises to her feet, heading for the refreshments table.

Twenty minutes later, Lena’s finished with her rounds of small talk and stands near the blanket that was apparently designated as theirs. Kara is a few yards away, paper plate steady in one hand, involved in conversation with four neighborhood women, and Lena listens in for a moment to see if Kara is in need of rescue. 

“Goodness, programming!” says one. “That all seems so complicated. Lena sounds very smart.”

“Oh, she’s brilliant,” Kara smiles, and Lena must be imagining that she stands a little taller. 

The woman with shoulder-length hair dyed purple leans closer, asking, “What’s it like with both of you working from home? I’m a little jealous, to be honest.”

Before she can reply, the brunette in the circle shakes her head. “I don’t know, I adore Brian, but sometimes I just need him out of the house! I think we’d both go crazy if he was home all the time.”

Kara shrugs. “For me…” She takes a moment to phrase her words properly. “I don’t think I could ever get tired of being around Lena. Any time I get to spend with her is great. I mean, I love her, and yeah, we may be dating, but she’s my best friend, you know?”

There’s an echo of “how cute,” and Lena can see Kara’s blush covering the back of her neck. 

As though she can feel Lena’s stare, Kara glances over her shoulder. Their eyes meet and Kara sighs softly, accepting the need to be closer, to sit beside her again, maybe hold her hand… _yeah, I love her._

She turns to say her goodbyes to the group but they’ve all seen the looks exchanged between the couple and they shoo Kara back to the blanket before she can open her mouth. 

“Hey,” Kara says, smiling shyly, “um, they wouldn’t let me walk past the grill without taking some of this.” She hands over the plate with three slices of zucchini and two rings of pineapple. 

“I know it must have been difficult for you to accept this,” Lena deadpans, “so thank you.” Kara rolls her eyes good-naturedly but perks up when Lena hands her a small paper plate with a brownie on it. “I thought you might like one of these,” she says, and smiles at Kara’s tiny squeal of anticipation.

Kara takes a large bite, easily half the brownie, and chews twice before her excitement turns into a grimace. She finishes the portion and swallows, grumbling, “Vegan brownie.” She offers the other half to Lena, who takes a small bite and is forced to agree with Kara that it’s not a tasty dessert. 

Kara sighs and finishes the brownie anyway, trying to focus on the chocolate flavor, and sits next to Lena when the woman settles on the blanket with her food. “What did you find out?”

Lena cuts a piece of zucchini with the plastic fork. “The three women I talked to are all due in August,” she says quietly. 

Kara matches her tone. “One due the first week in September, but the others are all August.” She sighs. “But what does it mean?”

“That there's something in the water?” Lena smirks. 

Kara sighs again. “I wish we could find the people who lived in our house before. I'm going to work on that tomorrow, I think.” 

When Lena offers her a small bite of the pineapple, Kara gives her an incredulous look. 

Lena pouts. It's slight, barely a crinkle in her forehead and a pursing of her lips, but Kara melts instantly, finally understanding the full power of the move. 

_I’ll never use it casually again,_ she promises, as she opens her mouth to accept the piece of fruit. Then it dawns on her that Lena is hand-feeding her and she almost chokes. She shakes her head, chewing quickly, “No, I'm fine. Just, different flavor than I was expecting. It's… not terrible.”

Lena laughs. “A ringing endorsement.”

Kara hears a “they're so cute” from Megan, who's sitting on the edge of the pool, soaking her feet, and Kara grins to herself. 

“Another bite?” Lena offers, but Kara politely declines.

“What else do you think we should be looking for?” She's genuinely curious for Lena’s input, wondering what the literal genius thinks on the matter, and she also desperately wants to think about something other than the feeling of Lena’s fingers against her lips. Green eyes widen slightly but Kara continues, “Another thing Travis mentioned that I thought was interesting was -”

And then Lena is kissing her. 

_Oh. Yep, I'm done for,_ she admits, hand caressing Lena’s cheek before she can stop herself. 

Later, Lena will go over what it was like to kiss Kara Danvers, and she’ll decide it was something she'd like to do again, definitely, but in the moment, she's only thinking _please stop talking_.

A throat clears nearby and they break apart, Lena’s heart hammering, Kara with her eyes still closed a moment longer.

“Sorry, um, to interrupt,” Stephen says, standing next to a tall, thin man with an almost gaunt appearance. “Mr. Velan, this is Kara and Lena, our newest residents. Ladies, this is Gregory Velan, the owner of Arcadum.”

“It's nice to meet you,” Lena stands and walks a few steps to shake his hand, but Kara stays seated and waves, uncertain she could stay grounded if she stood up so soon after being kissed by Lena Luthor. 

“The pleasure is all mine.” He takes Lena’s hand gently and Kara puts another check in the column for _things Travis was right about_ , as the man offers what is probably supposed to be a genuine smile but comes across a little wooden. 

“This is a lovely community, we’re enjoying it here very much.” 

Stephen grins and puts a hand on Gregory’s shoulder. “See, only been here a few days and already settling in.”

“I'm glad to hear it,” he says, and his smile widens a fraction. “Is there anything you need? Anything I can do to help?”

“Oh, we’re just fine.” Lena glances down at Kara to confirm.

“Yep, we’re great.” She shifts her gaze from the green eyes that always seem to pull her in. “I’m curious, though, who takes care of the landscaping here? Everything is so beautiful.”

Stephen replies, “Oh, that would be Rich,” and he points to a lanky blond on the patio.

“I’d love to ask him some questions about how he planned it all out; has Rich always maintained the yards?” Lena doubts they’ll discuss Travis but she tries anyway.

“No, but he stepped up when we had a need,” Gregory states, effectively closing the topic. 

“Is there a Mrs. Velan?” Kara asks, wanting to probe more about the man of whom Travis had been so wary. 

“There is, but she works overseas so she doesn't get to visit often.” Gregory nods to the women. His smile falters back to the original but doesn't quite fade completely, though Kara feels she struck a nerve. “You all enjoy the barbecue. Come see me if you need anything, okay? First house on Fox.” He mingles through the crowd but winds his way out and leaves not long after. 

Lena blinks at Stephen. “I'm sorry… is that difficult for him?”

The tall man winces. “It's a little touchy,” he admits. “Sorry, should have warned you. It's okay. He’s really a nice guy. If you need anything, he’ll get you taken care of.” 

Stephen seems unsurprised when Emily and Gary come up beside him. 

“I'm so glad you finally got to meet Gregory,” Emily smiles. She glances at Stephen. “Should we…?”

Gary clears his throat. “We sort of noticed you out and about last night.”

Kara raises both eyebrows, a little surprised at the direct and group confrontation. “Yeah. I like the cool air and it's really quiet here.”

“It's really quiet because we all stay inside,” Gary explains. “We have a strict policy about no loud noise after seven-thirty.”

“I'm not exactly blaring music as I go.”

“We just worry,” Emily says, “it might not be safe to walk around after dark.”

Lena frowns at that. “We’re in a gated community. What dangers are here?”

Emily looks flustered. “Oh, not that! It's very safe here, it's just… in general.”

Kara shrugs. “Sometimes I have trouble sleeping and, well, I don't want to bother Lena, so I like to take a walk. Clear my head, you know.”

“That makes sense. Just, ah, be careful,” Stephen sighs. 

“I'll keep the noise level to a minimum,” she promises with a broad smile.

Unable to come up with another potential argument against it, they nod and murmur their acceptance and all three disperse.

Lena sinks down onto the blanket next to Kara and tells her, “I'm definitely going with you tonight.”

*****

And she does. 

The barbecue ends at seven and everyone pitches in to clean up, and by 7:20 the residents are all heading back to their homes, leftovers in clear Tupperware containers. 

Kara and Lena take an hour to go through their respective email accounts. Kara finishes first and watches the end of an episode of _Friends_ and then Lena closes her laptop. 

“Ready to take a walk?”

Their hands come together before they reach the end of the driveway. Kara’s pace is maybe a little slower, but she takes the same route, and by the fourth house, Lena is counting in her head. 

“Every forty-five seconds,” she whispers. 

“Same thing I saw last night,” Kara nods as they turn the corner. “It's weird.”

Lena agrees. “I don't see anyone moving inside, though I do get the feeling of being watched.”

Kara can hear the steady heartbeats of the occupants and knows they’re at the windows, even if she can't discreetly check with her x-ray vision. “Me, too.” 

They lean close together to speak quietly so as to not be overheard and Kara barely catches a whine before it leaves her throat, wishing she could just push forward and place a kiss against the flawless skin. 

_This is torture,_ Lena groans internally. _How can she be so beautiful and **right here** and I'm not supposed to kiss her? I got lucky sneaking one by today, there's only so much I can claim is for our cover._

Each woman falls silent, lost in unknowingly similar thoughts, and they find themselves once again near the pool house. 

“You're right. The playground is creepy,” Lena chuckles softly. “I hardly noticed it today but now it's somehow impossible to miss.”

“Right? There's something strange about it.”

“Maybe because there aren't any kids here.”

“At least until August.”

Lena bumps Kara’s shoulder. “Darling, those children won’t be old enough to play out here for a few years.”

“Oh. Yeah.” She chews on her lip. “I know this place caters to families… but isn't it weird that there aren't any families actually here? No one with kids already, I mean. Just seven women due at roughly the same time.”

“Hm. That's a lot of coincidences,” Lena agrees.

Lena’s thumb is stroking her own and Kara tries hard to concentrate. “I think there's definitely something going on here. I just don't know what it is.”

“Yet.” Lena encourages her with a gentle squeeze of her hand and then her thumb continues its lazy movements. She mistakes Kara’s waning ability to stand upright with despondency. “We’ll figure this out,” she tells the slouching woman, “and you’ll get a great story out of it.”

“I hope so.” Kara doesn't say anything else for long moments, too busy memorizing Lena’s profile in the soft light.

Those moments give Lena time to get caught up in her own insecurities, her own doubts, and she turns to face Kara, pulling the hand she's holding a little closer. “About today… when… I know we discussed it a little at your apartment, but that's different than in practice, so I want you to know we can change the agreement.”

Kara blinks rapidly. “What?”

“It's okay if you changed your mind. About the… amount of affection you're comfortable with.” Lena sets her chin, waiting for the gentle rejection - she knows Kara and it wouldn't be a shouting match, but she's about 70/30 on Kara adjusting the parameters of -

“Oh! No. I mean, I don't want to change anything.” _Unless I can ask for more?_ “You were right, you know, it would be weird if we never, um, kissed, and you totally saved me today. With the talking, I mean, I was probably going to say something we didn't want Gregory to know.” 

“… are you sure?”

“Yeah, my sister says I'm terrible at being sneaky, I totally would have -”

“You were okay with the kiss?”

“Yeah!” _Whoa, too eager._ She pushes her glasses up her nose. “I mean, yeah, we talked about it and it makes sense and I'm okay with it.” 

Lena relaxes her grip on Kara’s hand but keeps their fingers intertwined. “Good. I don't want you to be uncomfortable.”

“You worry too much,” Kara says, nudging her gently. “Should we head back?”

They walk around the back of the pool house and then take the long way home, hand-in-hand. 

Just to be thorough for the investigation, of course.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They're ridiculous and I love them.
> 
> Also: bed-sharing - y'all, I promised it would happen! And there will be more!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Investigation! And lots of pining.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I fixed a few missing italics in chapter five. Sorry about that!
> 
> You all are the best <3 I've been working more on the final chapters, but I will reply to your comments! Thank you so much <3

Sharing the bed the second night is easier, and on Wednesday their evening routine finds a comfortable rhythm, shifting in and out of the bathroom while not disturbing or rushing the other. Lena takes off her watch and sets it on the nightstand next to her bottle of water, Kara removes her glasses, and they climb into bed together. There are no questions now, no attempts at sleeping separately.

By Thursday night, they've had three mornings of waking up always tangled together in some fashion so Lena decides to just skip the waiting. 

When she climbs under the covers and shifts around to get comfortable, she ends up with her head against Kara’s shoulder. 

Kara puts an arm around her and neither says a word. 

*****

Friday morning after breakfast they each set up their laptops at the dining room table. Lena is going over a draft that Jess started the day prior and Kara is getting a little closer, she thinks, to finding the couple who lived in the house previously. 

Kara spent the past two days combing through the CC&Rs of the homeowners association, and found lots of rules she's glad she doesn't have to follow when she's finished with the article. 

Before coming to Arcadum, she'd figured she could be done in a week. Now, it's looking to be a bit longer, but she has to admit she doesn't mind. She wouldn't complain if it took the whole month, honestly, because last night she fell asleep with Lena in her arms and who’s to say she’ll be doing that after they leave? 

_At least give me one more week with her, like this,_ she hopes. 

As it nears lunchtime, Kara perks up in her seat, head lifting at what she finds on the screen.

“What is it?” 

“I’ve got an email for the Rodstads, the couple that lived here before.” She grins. “Took digging through some public records and more social media stalking than I'm proud of, but I found them.”

Lena nudges Kara’s knee with her own. “That's fantastic! Maybe they can answer some of the lingering questions about this place.”

Kara’s fingers fly over the keyboard as she composes an email reaching out, approaching them as just a couple living in their old house, curious about their experience in Arcadum. When she's satisfied with the draft, she sends it off and closes the lid of her laptop. 

“Done!”

Lena follows suit, wrapping up her work for the time being. “I have a conference call late this evening, but other than preparing for that a little beforehand, I don’t have anything pressing for the day.”

“Want to get some lunch?”

“Sure,” Lena slips off the stool and heads to the fridge, “what would you like?”

“I thought, well, I don’t think there’s anything this afternoon that we have to do here, so maybe… we could go out to eat?” Kara tries for a casual smile and hopes it doesn’t betray her. _This is obnoxiously close to asking her on an actual date and she’s going to call you on that, you dolt._ Her heart hammers in her chest. 

Lena tilts her head, barely moving, but Kara can tell she’s working through the proposal. _She **did** just eat her last pepperoni pizza last night,_ Lena remembers, _that’s probably why she wants to go somewhere else. Not like a date. She only has cheese pizza left and can’t find anything she wants here at the moment._ “That sounds good, where did you have in mind?” 

Kara gives her a broad grin. “I was looking on Yelp and there’s supposed to be a really good diner twenty minutes away. Is that okay?”

Lena agrees and passes Kara the keys to the SUV without hesitation.

Kara’s grin widens and becomes permanent when she slides behind the wheel and Lena reaches for her hand.

*****

The diner is indeed worth the four-and-a-half stars it earned on Yelp and Kara makes a mental note to type her own glowing review when they’re home. 

Kara enjoys the tiny jukebox at their booth, enthralled by the choices.

Lena enjoys watching Kara concentrate as she picks the next song to play quietly through the tiny speakers. It’s decent quality so Lena doesn't object. Honestly, she would have suffered through it even if it were terrible, just to see Kara smile. 

_Jesus. You're pathetic._ She clears her throat and takes a sip of filtered water from her glass. “Did you decide on dessert?” she asks. She’s just seen Kara devour a double bacon cheeseburger and an entire basket of fries but knows the blonde will, somehow, still have room for more. 

“Nah,” Kara shrugs, pressing the arrow button to flip the pages of the jukebox playlist. “Unless… do you want to split something? A piece of cake maybe?”

Lena narrows her eyes slightly but smiles. “Sure. You choose.”

 _This is beginning to feel like something suspiciously similar to a date,_ Lena muses. She's been trying not to get her hopes up for anything real to happen between them, which is getting more difficult by the day, as they settle in to a mock relationship that's more and more natural, but now… 

Kara settles on warm chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. The waitress brings it out with a single plate and two spoons, leaving the check which Lena snags while Kara ogles the dessert.

Lena alternates three bites with her companion before declaring it too rich and encouraging Kara to eat the rest. 

And she does. Lena is beginning to get more used to Kara’s endless appetite but sometimes something will come along that surprises her. 

Like when Kara almost licks the plate clean after finishing off the slice of cake and entire scoop of ice cream and wipes her mouth with the napkin, looking very capable of eating another dessert. 

“What now?” Lena asks, withdrawing a few bills from her wallet, leaving the change as a tip. “Though if you say more food, I might have to stay in the car.”

Kara laughs, “No, I'm full.” _Mostly._ “Thank you for lunch though, I didn't mean for you to have to pay for my meal.”

“We shared dessert and she didn't even ask before bringing a single check. It would have been a scandal to ask for separate checks,” Lena chuckles, draining the last of her drink. She rests her hand on the plastic container holding half of her vegetable wrap she'd been unable to finish. “Where to now, darling?”

Kara’s phone buzzes before she can ask if Lena just wants to walk around, maybe hold hands…

She sighs when she sees it's an email notification. Snapper’s reply is clear the subject line, _And…?_ Kara opens the email anyway and scans the few lines of text. 

“What is it?” Lena sounds concerned and Kara tries to wipe the disappointment from her features. 

“Nothing, just Snapper.”

Lena scowls. “What did he say?”

“They didn’t find anything unusual in the finances,” she reports, “the loan and permits and everything checked out. He told me I must be missing something and to look harder.” She groans and lets her head drop forward, chin to her chest. “I'm _trying_ to find the story here.”

Lena reaches across the table and squeezes her hand. “Let's regroup.”

“What?” Kara grunts, slowly raising her head. 

“Back to Arcadum. Come on.”

Lena insists on driving and Kara relents, taking the opportunity to pout in the passenger seat. 

*****

The moment they’re back in the house, Lena pulls out the CC&Rs, both laptops, and Kara’s notebook, including the original sheet of paper Snapper had given her to begin the assignment. She spreads everything on the dining room table and motions for Kara to sit beside her. 

She does, falling into the chair with a heavy sigh. “What are we doing?”

“Starting over.” Lena pulls the single sheet of paper closer, then opens her laptop. “Okay, let’s start from the beginning. Go over everything Snapper told you, including what's on this paper.”

They spend the next several hours poring over the materials, the background, the possibilities. Kara makes a list of all the weird things that Travis mentioned, followed by whether it's been confirmed and any additional notes on the topic. Some of the peculiarities can be answered by the regulations - it is indeed a rule that no vehicles should be in the driveway, rather they must be parked in the garage - but for many of the oddities, there are simply question marks.

Kara rubs her hands over her face, still frustrated, when her computer sends a notification that she has a new email.

She pumps her fist in the air. “Yes! Mr. Rodstad says he’s willing to talk to us! We can call him tomorrow, he says.”

Lena smiles at the news. “That's great! I'm sure he can give us a little more insight.” She shuffles the papers into a neat stack and slides them toward Kara. “How about dinner? Then I need to take thirty minutes or so to review a few things before my conference call at eleven.”

Kara scrunches up her face. “Eleven? That's so late.”

“Time zones are the worst,” Lena chuckles. 

“Well, why don't I get something going for dinner? That way you aren't rushing to go through everything before the call.” Kara nods, deciding it's a good course of action. She moves her laptop out of the way, gets to her feet, and then presses a kiss to the top of Lena’s head. “Any requests for dinner, sweetheart?”

“Just no pizza,” to which Kara smirks and mutters that she knew that already, and the blonde trails into the kitchen. Lena shakes her head and tries to focus. 

The _sweetheart_ endearment was new. Kara started using it the night before, claiming she needed something in response to Lena’s constant _darling_ , at which point she hurriedly explained she was in no way complaining, but Kara didn't want people to wonder.

They'd barely spoken to any of the residents since the barbecue, much less interacted with them in a way in which they would be suspicious about a lack of pet names from the couple, but Lena wasn't about to mention that. 

If Kara wanted to call her sweetheart, well, that was perfectly alright with Lena. 

Kara makes chicken stir-fry and throws together a salad specifically for Lena, and Lena tries not to read into the thoughtfulness, the attentiveness for Kara to know that she prefers the cherry tomatoes cut in half and cucumber slices quartered. 

Kara retreats to the living room so she doesn't distract Lena from the last of her preparations before the conference call. She turns on the news and keeps the volume low, sitting cross-legged on the couch. 

Nothing exciting for Supergirl today, so she watches the developing story of a mystery illness plaguing a few children in National City.

“You don't have to stay up,” Lena says a few minutes later, cell phone in one hand as she prepares to dial, noticing Kara hide a yawn. “I'll keep the door to the office closed and try not to bother you if you want to sleep.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.” Lena reaches for Kara’s hand and tugs her to her feet. “Come on, to bed with you. No sense in both of us being up.”

Kara changes for bed and rests but doesn't sleep, though she is soothed by half-listening to Lena’s voice. She doesn’t focus enough to get the words as she doesn't want to feel like she's intruding on business, but it’s enough to know it's her; the melodic tones that are less gentle as Lena's in boardroom mode, but the sound is still comforting, a balm to Kara’s soul. 

The office door opens, the light flicks off, and Lena walks into the bedroom with a sigh. She places her cell on the side table and plugs it in to charge, rubbing one hand along the back of her neck.

“You okay?” 

“Hm,” she exhales slowly, “late-night conference calls always leave me with a headache.”

Kara frowns. “Did you take some medicine?”

“Not just for this. I'm fine,” Lena insists. She's beyond glad she decided to change into pajamas before the call, as she slips underneath the covers and closes her eyes. “You're staring,” she says after several moments.

“I'm worried,” Kara corrects. “Do you want me to get you some water?”

“Kara. Right now I just want sleep.” She opens her eyes, adjusted to the darkness, and can almost see the concern on Kara’s face. “Okay, you want to help?” Kara nods instantly and Lena shifts, resting her head against the strong shoulder, snuggling close. “Don't move.”

Kara kisses her dark hair. “You got it.”

*****

By the end of breakfast, Kara counts six times that Lena either rubs the back of her neck or tries to turn and crack the vertebrate there. Kara has seen humans do these same movements when they're in pain; particularly, when they're suffering from a headache. 

She opens her mouth to say something, but Lena speaks first. “Time to call the Rodstads, right?”

“Oh. Yeah.” Kara dials the phone number she received in the email, then places her cell phone on the table and puts it on speaker. 

It rings twice and then a man’s voice comes on the line. “Hello?”

“Hi, Mr. Rodstad? This is Kara, I had a few questions about your time in Arcadum I was hoping you could answer.”

He grunts. “Sure.”

Kara glances at her notepad where she and Lena had written questions down the night before. “When did you move in and how long did you stay?”

“We moved in about two months ago. We only stayed… well, it wasn't even two weeks.” There's a distinct _chrk_ as he opens a can of something, then he slurps a bit of foam from his beer. “All that effort and money to move and for what? Ten days of weird shit and more arguments and we still ended up on the road to divorce.”

Kara blinks. “I'm sorry to hear that.”

Henry grunts again. “It was gonna happen anyway. She thought a new house would fix it.” He takes another drink. “Nope.”

“Mr. Rodstad, you said you noticed some weird things going on while you lived here?” Kara picks up her pen. “Can you explain?”

“Everyone’s way too damned happy, if that counts, but Sharon said I was just being cynical. It was like…” he pauses, thinking for a moment. “Like they were really lifelike robots, I guess. Always helpful, always doing the same thing at the same time, and just…,” a longer pause as he swallows the last of his beer, “too fucking perfect.”

Lena and Kara exchange a glance. Kara clears her throat. “What made you decide to leave?”

He snorts. “ _We_ didn't decide. We were kicked out.”

“Why?”

“Got in an argument one night. Sharon’s screeching, you know? Next morning they said we violated the noise ordinance and had three days to pack up and go.” The sound of the aluminum can being crushed in his fist echoes loudly across the speaker. “So, we left.”

“Is there anything else you can tell us about your time here?”

“Are they still trying to push that godawful lemonade?”

Kara underlines the word in her notepad. “Yeah, they seem pretty fond of it.”

“It's shit.” He huffs out a laugh. “You know that, right?”

“Is your wife around? We’d like to ask her opinion.”

“Separated. Waiting for the court date for the divorce, we don't live together. ‘Sides, she won’t talk about the place.”

Lena raises both eyebrows and Kara nods, asking, “Why not?”

“The owner guy, Velen or whatever, he creeped her out. We only met him once at that bullshit excuse for a barbecue, but she didn't like him.” Another beer can is opened. “That was part of what the fight was about. She said she wanted to leave but we'd just spent all that money to move, and she wasn't even giving it a chance.”

“I'm sorry to hear you had a difficult time.”

He grunts and Kara imagines it accompanying a shrug. “Anything else?”

Kara glances at Lena but she shakes her head, so Kara thanks the man for his time and ends the call. “Wow,” she exhales. 

“Right,” Lena agrees. 

“They argued and were asked to leave… Megan was really concerned when she thought we were having trouble.” Kara taps her pen against the notepad. “They're real sticklers for the happy couple image, I guess.”

Lena asks, “We aren't going to have some sort of public breakup to test this theory, are we?”

Kara's eyes go wide at the suggestion. “No! No way. We aren't breaking up.” She clears her throat. “I mean… you know what I mean.”

Lena chuckles. “Well, that's good. I'd hate to lose you.”

She says it lightly, but Kara holds Lena’s hand in both of hers. “You won't lose me.” It's a promise, and she means it, in whatever way Lena wants it, and she makes no effort to laugh it off or take it back. 

_Maybe this means there's a chance… maybe after all this, we can talk about making this relationship real._ Lena’s smile is warm and she meets those blue eyes with a growing confidence.

*****

Despite Lena’s insistence that she'd been joking, Kara thinks she might have been right. 

“What if there _is_ something in the water?” She takes an empty water bottle from the recycle bin and fills it from the kitchen sink, screwing the lid shut. 

Lena rests her hip against the counter, watching Kara. “What do you plan to do about it today?”

“Have it tested.”

“You know a place that will run this for you on a Saturday?” Lena raises an eyebrow. “We probably won't have any results for a few days.”

“Nah, I should have something by dinner.” She winks at Lena’s skeptical look. “It helps when your sister works for the FBI.”

“Ah, that's right. Well, if you have to abuse your government connections, it might as well be through your sister.” Lena presses two fingers against her forehead and immediately Kara is at her side. 

“Hey, that headache still bothering you?” she asks, putting a gentle hand on Lena’s shoulder. 

“A little,” she admits. 

“What can I do? Can I get you something?”

Lena chuckles softly, brushing her fingers against Kara’s cheek. “It's not that bad, I promise.”

“I can stay here.”

“Don't you dare,” Lena insists, “not just for this. I'm fine. Go get the water tested.”

“Will you rest? Or take some medicine?” Kara’s worry is prominent. She softens her voice, “Please, sweetheart?”

Lena tries to withhold any obvious physical reaction to the term, as her heart beats rapidly. It isn't the first time Kara’s said the word but it's the first time Lena’s heard it laced with such gentle concern. “I'll take it easy. I'll lay down while you're gone, okay?”

Kara presses a kiss against her forehead. “Thank you.”

Kara takes the water bottle and walks out the door, closing it softly behind her. The SUV starts up and when the sound of the engine has faded as Kara heads down the road, Lena rests her forehead in her hands, elbows propped on the counter. 

Her headache is noticeable, that's true, and she’ll probably resort to taking a few painkillers in the next twenty minutes, but for now she wants to take some time to process everything while Kara is out of the house. 

The _sweetheart_ thing is getting to her more than she expected. Despite the claim that it was only in response to Lena calling her _darling_ , Lena thinks she finds a note of sincerity there, of longing for it to be real…

 _No, I'm just projecting,_ she sighs. _There might be something here, after, for us to talk about… but full-fledged romantic feelings are definitely only from my side._

She wishes for a moment that she had the courage to just _talk_ to Kara. Tonight, when she got back, she could simply tell the truth, explain the depths of her feelings… _This act that we put on for this cover story? I’m not acting._

The honesty of that thought hits her. _When did I stop pretending?_ She rubs her eyes. _Oh, right. I’ve never been able to curb my affection for her._

She laughs at herself a little for that. For nearly a year, she’d been so blinded by her own love for the reporter that she mistook it for platonic friendship. 

Scrapping a potentially lucrative prototype because it makes your new friend uncomfortable? Sure, that’s fine. 

Filling her office with flowers to say thank you? Who wouldn’t? 

Accepting movie nights and game nights and girls nights, even when it means leaving work at a reasonable hour, something she hadn’t ever done with any regularity? It takes effort to keep a friendship going and spending time together is just one of those things. 

Feeling that flare of jealousy when your friend begins dating? Well… that’s when things get a little more complicated. 

_I just want to make sure she’s being treated well._ She rolls her eyes. That had been her excuse at the start - when Kara would talk about Mon-El, the times she’d _really_ talk, telling some of his worst behavior, Lena was supportive but also tried to make sure Kara knew her own worth. She wasn’t jealous, per se, she was protective of her friend.

_True friends are such rare things, especially for a Luthor, so they must be protected._

Despite that initial assurance, it was ultimately the dinner with Jack when Lena realized that tightness in her throat, the uneasy feeling that clawed its way into her heart, was jealousy. Mon-El was even being pleasant and Jack was sweet but all Lena could think about was being seated right next to Kara at a romantic dinner. 

What might it be like, if they were there on a date with each other? Oh, how much she wanted that to be true.

She’d called Sam in a near panic when she got home. It didn’t take long for Sam to tell Lena exactly what she thought - namely, if Lena liked this Kara girl she’d heard so much about, and it was obvious to Sam that she did, then Lena needed to _do something._

Lena steadfastly refused, not wanting to interfere with Kara’s relationship with Mon-El or bring any awkwardness to their friendship. She insisted she could just ignore the feelings, though Sam protested the decision. 

_It’s only gotten worse since then,_ Lena admits now, pinching the bridge of her nose. She raises her head slowly, placing her palms flat against the cool granite countertop. _Being here certainly isn’t helping, but it’s just another week or two… get through this first. Then let Kara decide what she wants, if anything._

Lena slides off the stool and shrugs her shoulders, trying to settle a few vertebrae into place but they stubbornly refuse.

 _It’ll probably just go back to how things were,_ she cautions herself, but there’s a small part of her that doesn’t believe it, that hopes she isn’t alone in these feelings. _Probably. We just have to wait. No sense talking about it when we’re supposed to be doing a job._

She shakes a few painkillers from the bottle on the kitchen counter and grabs a new bottle of water from the fridge, swallowing the medicine quickly. Then, as promised, she reclines on the couch and swipes through email on her phone. 

Anything to keep her mind off the ever-prominent idea of dating her best friend. 

*****

Kara picks up random tools and equipment around the lab. Nothing like actual machinery, she learned early on not to push buttons, but small picks and brushes and droppers are lifted, investigated, then returned to their place. 

“You're fidgeting,” Alex drawls over her shoulder, not looking up from the notes and measurements she's calculating. 

“I'm bored.”

She chuckles. “I warned you this wasn't going to be interesting. I have ten different samples to load and then we just wait for the computer to analyze them.” She squeezes the final additive to the last sample and carefully sets them into the various machines. They whir and groan and come to life, then accept the command and begin working. 

“Since you're apparently determined to wait for the results,” Alex strips off her gloves, “why don't you tell me how things are going out there?”

Kara sighs. “I think this is my last hope for anything real to this story,” she admits. 

“No other leads?”

“Nothing. I mean, it's weird, but I don't think weird neighbors qualifies as a story.”

Alex crosses her arms over her chest and grins. “So. What about Lena?”

“What _about_ Lena?”

“What's the story there?” Kara rolls her eyes and Alex smirks. “Come on. Spill.”

“Nothing to spill,” Kara insists, glad Alex can't hear her heartbeat as it spikes. “You know, just trying to do what we need to get the information for the article. Except -”

The redhead raises an eyebrow. She's pretty certain her sister is crushing on Lena Luthor and she's made her peace with that; she'd taken several weeks to think long and hard about the possibility the first time she caught Lena gazing at Kara when the blonde wasn't looking, the exact night she saw Kara doing the same. Alex knew then it was only a matter of time before the two discovered it themselves. 

_Finally._ “Except what?” Alex prompts, hoping for something good. 

“How often do humans get headaches?”

Alex frowns slightly, confused by the topic. “Well, some more often than others, but I'd say most adult humans have some degree of headache almost every day.”

Kara's eyes widen. “Really?”

“Sure. I mean, chronic migraine sufferers have it bad and there are illnesses that can cause severe headaches, but pretty much all humans function with some level of pain all the time and a headache is common.”

One of the machines begins to emit a soft chime and Alex walks over to read the output on the screen. “Why?”

“Lena has had a headache since last night and I just… I wondered if it meant something was wrong.” Kara bites her lip. “How can I know?”

“Make sure she's drinking plenty of fluids and eating regular meals,” Alex recommends, “and maybe some caffeine if she hasn't had her usual amount lately. Caffeine withdrawal often causes headaches.” She makes some notes and presses a few more buttons. “Stress and loud noises can also cause them, but that doesn't sound like the issue from what you've told me at Arcadum.”

“No, I don't think it's that.”

The two other machines signal that they're done running. Alex glances at the results and shrugs. “Sorry to tell you this, but there's nothing nefarious here. Couple of enzymes and electrolytes, not what you'd usually find in your average tap water, but it's not dangerous.”

Kara groans. “I'm glad no one is poisoned, but that would have made this so much easier.”

Alex puts a hand on her shoulder. “You've got more time, right? You'll figure it out.”

“I hope so.” She meets Alex’s gaze. “What about Lena?”

“See how she feels in a day or so. Let her stay in a dark, quiet room if it gets worse, and if she isn't better by Monday, you can give me a call and I'll come check on her.” She squeezes the strong muscles beneath her hand. “Okay?”

Kara nods, relieved at the thought of her sister making a house-call. There’s no one else she trusts with Lena’s health, if she's honest. “Thanks, Alex.” 

Alex pulls her in for a quick hug. “Anytime. Now,” she says, grinning as she pulls back, “go home. Where you live with Lena. Your _girlfriend_.”

Kara rolls her eyes at the teasing, pushing Alex away gently, not letting on how much her heart yearns for that statement to be true. 

If Alex knew she was right about Kara falling for Lena, she'd never let the hero live it down. 

*****

When Kara arrives back at Arcadum, Lena is asleep on the couch. 

Kara takes a long quiet moment to simply look at her, ostensibly searching for small signs of pain but, honestly, she realizes the feelings fluttering in her stomach at the sight wouldn't let her do anything else. 

_She's beautiful all the time, but oh, when she sleeps…?_ Kara sighs. _I just want to curl up beside her and hold her forever._

Kara drapes a blanket over her and lets her sleep. 

*****

Lena wakes an hour later and finds Kara sitting on the floor beside her. 

“Hey,” Lena says quietly, “why aren't you sitting in the chair?” She’s still half-asleep so there's no second-guessing when she reaches out and plays with a strand of blonde hair over Kara’s shoulder. 

“Wanted to be right here in case you needed me,” is the response, just as quiet. “How are you feeling?”

Lena smiles. “Better, darling.” She can still feel the headache but at least right this second, with Kara so near, the pain fades slightly. “When did you get home?”

“Maybe an hour ago? I didn't want to wake you.”

“Did you find anything?” She shifts the blanket to her hips and rolls onto her side, facing the reporter. 

“Not… not really,” Kara says, trying hard to focus on anything other than the beautiful, sleepy-soft woman barely inches away, “Alex said it was just enzymes and electrolytes and stuff.” She shrugs. “Nothing dangerous. So I guess we’re back to square one.” 

“We’ll figure it out,” Lena assures her.

“Yeah,” Kara murmurs, her thumb stroking Lena’s cheek, which isn't what she'd meant to be doing, and Lena’s eyes lock on hers as if trying to determine the truth. “I'm, um, I'm glad you're feeling a little better. Alex said she could come check on you if your headache doesn't go away.”

Lena tilts her head, leaning into the touch, and she hears Kara swallow. “Darling, it's just a headache.”

“Yeah, but…”

A soft kiss the inside of her wrist puts an abrupt end to her sentence. “I'm sure after some sleep tonight, I'll be better by morning. I appreciate the concern, but don't bother your sister with this, okay?” Lena exhales slowly, conscious of her breath against Kara’s skin, and the blonde’s sudden wide-eyed look makes her wonder if she’s feeling the same spark between them that Lena can no longer deny. “Thank you, though.”

Kara nods minutely. _I love you._ “I worry about you,” she whispers. She gathers her self-control, wrestling it away from the thoughts of sliding her hand down to caress Lena's throat and kissing her, and leans forward just enough to be able to reach Lena’s forehead. She places a long kiss there, longer than is probably friendly, she acknowledges when she moves away, but it's done and maybe now when she opens her eyes, there will be a clue on Lena’s expression that might tell her how the woman would feel about more kisses. 

Lena smiles softly, kissing Kara’s palm, which is still against her cheek, and finds herself a little more sure that their conversation after they leave Arcadum is going to go the way she hopes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just can't with these two.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A reveal, of sorts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hold on tight, friends. The angst begins in this chapter.

Dinner for Lena is a light salad and a portion of stir-fry that Kara made sure to set aside for her the night before. Kara has two sandwiches and half a bag of chips, adding two doughnuts for dessert.

When they climb into bed, Kara begins to reach for Lena but hesitates. 

Lena notices. “Is… something wrong?” _She isn't actually comfortable with cuddling,_ she thinks suddenly, and the blood pounding in her ears brings her headache roaring back when she was beginning to think it might be fading. _Don't panic. Just apologize. Then keep to your own damn side of the bed._

“You get situated first,” Kara says, taking off her glasses and putting them on the nightstand. “I don't want to make your headache worse by sleeping in an uncomfortable position.”

“Oh.” Lena laughs a little in relief and tries to cover it with a not-very-convincing yawn. “Are you sure? You need to be able to sleep, too.”

“I can sleep just about anywhere,” Kara promises. _And even if I can't, you're worth staying up for._ “So you… do whatever is best for you. Move me however you want me.” Kara strangles the squawk in her throat when she realizes what she said, and she can tell she's blushing but doesn't take it back. 

Lena smiles at the offer but moves slowly, giving Kara a chance to protest. The blonde doesn't make a sound as Lena puts her head on Kara’s shoulder, facing away, clutching her left arm _(how have I never noticed how muscular she is?)_ and shifting until she has the best angle for her neck and the pain in her head eases slightly. 

“Do you mind this?”

Kara swallows. “No, you're fine. Um, can I, can I move just a little?” Lena says _of course_ and Kara rolls into her left side, sliding her right arm around Lena’s waist, tucking her hand under Lena’s hip. “Is this… okay?” She’s certain her voice is giving away her nerves. “It's just, this might help you stay more still as you sleep so you don't disturb -”

“This is good,” Lena assures quickly, pressing her shoulders into the strong hold. She feels almost giddy, hyper-aware of her own breathing, when Kara squeezes her gently in return. 

*****

Sunday morning Lena wakes up and her headache is no better. She spends most of the day in bed - she tried the couch for an hour but Kara sent her back to bed when it was clear she couldn't really rest - except for brief trips to the kitchen to eat something bland. 

Kara frets. 

She considers calling Alex but Lena puts a hand on her arm. “It's not that bad,” the woman insists. “My stomach isn't upset, I just don't want to take any chances.”

“Will you at least go lay back down?”

Lena pushes away the empty bowl, a few grains of plain white rice remaining. “With you?” Ordinarily she'd be a little self-conscious asking for such lavish attention, but Kara has made sure to accompany her whenever she rests in the bedroom, and she feels good about her chances of that continuing. 

“Of course.”

“I know you have things to do,” she says, trying to offer Kara a way out if she wants it. “I don't want to keep you from working on the article or anything.”

“Nope. You're stuck with me.” _Nowhere else I’d rather be than taking care of you._ “Come on. Back to bed.”

*****

Despite the day of rest, her headache seems to double in severity overnight and Lena is restricted to bed entirely on Monday. She wants nothing to do with food and Kara’s initial attempts at suggestions for breakfast were not well received. 

Kara refuses to leave her side. 

When the blonde’s stomach growls for the third time, Lena sighs. She pats Kara’s arm gently to get her attention. 

“What is it? What do you need?” she asks immediately, hand coming to rest against Lena’s waist. The position from the day before seems the most comfortable for Lena, so Kara lies on her back with Lena’s head on her shoulder, but she shifts closer now. 

“I need you to go eat something.” 

“I don't want to leave you.”

Lena chuckles softly. “I know, darling, but I promise I'll be fine for a little while. With your metabolism, you need to eat. I don't want you getting sick too.” She squeezes Kara’s hand. “Go eat something. Please.”

Kara sighs and her breath is warm against Lena’s cheek as she places a kiss to her temple. “Okay. Just real quick.” She moves carefully as she slides her arm out from underneath Lena. “Be right back.”

Once in the kitchen, Kara stress eats four doughnuts and her last frozen pizza, cooked with her heat vision since there’s no way she’s waiting half an hour to do it normally when Lena is sick in bed and waiting for her to get back. She scarfs everything down in record time.

She throws her napkin in the trash and is about to head down the hall when there’s a knock at the door. 

Emily stands there, smiling brightly. “Hi! Can we expect you and Lena at the barbecue tonight?”

Kara shakes her head and motions for Emily to lower her voice. “No, I’m afraid Lena isn’t feeling well,” she whispers, “so we won’t be there.”

“Oh, goodness, I had no idea!” Her eyes grow wide. “Is there anything we can do to help?”

“No, thank you.” Kara puts on a pleasant expression that she hopes hides how badly she wants to ask the woman to leave. “Tell everyone we’re sorry we missed it, okay? I need to get back to Lena.”

“Of course, honey. You let us know if you need anything.” Emily extracts a promise from Kara before she’ll leave, but then she does, turning and walking down the driveway. 

The moment she’s a few steps away, what Kara deems an appropriate distance so as to be polite, Kara closes the door, makes a quick stop in the bathroom and then she's climbing back into bed. 

Lena lifts her head a little so they can situate themselves again but she pauses when she smells mint. “Did you… brush your teeth?”

“Um.” Kara freezes. “You said the smell of food was bothering you. Sorry, I can maybe -“

Lena pulls Kara’s arm closer around her. “No, you’re perfect. Stay.”

So she stays.

*****

Lena’s alarm goes off the next morning.

“You can't be serious,” Kara protests, when Lena begins to pull the covers back and carefully, _slowly_ move out of bed. 

“This is the one meeting I can't miss.” If she focuses on her breathing, the pounding in her head and tumult in her stomach doesn't seem as noticeable, and Lena closes her eyes to help keep the room from spinning when she sits up. 

“Let me drive you.” Kara swings her legs over the edge of the bed to get dressed. “Or have David come get you.”

“No sense in you being bored for hours and I can't exactly have a chauffeur as a freelance programmer,” Lena reminds her, upright now, but holding on to the wall for support. She takes a few steps and is pleased with the result - she moves forward with her eyes open and doesn't vomit. 

“What - Lena, _screw_ the cover story,” Kara says, incredulous. 

“It’ll be fine. A short meeting, and I'll come right home.”

“You're sick. You haven't eaten in like two days. Let me call Alex.”

“That still wouldn't stop me from holding this conference,” she replies, and Kara groans in exasperation. “Kara, honestly. I've gone to work with worse headaches.”

“That doesn't make me feel any better,” Kara replies, voice muffled as she has her head in her hands. “For the record, I hate this.”

“I know, darling. I'll be back as soon as I can.” 

Lena showers and dresses. Her movements are slow and deliberate, but she manages on her own. 

Kara shadows her the moment she's dressed, following her as she takes four painkillers and makes a single piece of toast. She tries to pass that off as breakfast but Kara shakes her head. “Do you want to try some tea?” she asks, desperate to do something to help.

“I have to go.” 

Kara walks her to the door, hand lightly against her lower back, resigned. “Be careful,” she says quietly. “What time do you think you'll be back?”

“The meeting should be done by two, so that should put me back here around three-thirty.” Lena kisses Kara’s cheek and opens the front door. “See you then, darling. Work on the story, okay?”

Kara does not work on the article. 

She spends the hours googling remedies for migraines and ways to help ease the symptoms. The advice Alex gave, plus several other ideas that are upvoted on forum posts, and Kara gathers what she can from around the house. 

When three o’clock rolls around, Kara has everything ready to go. The bedroom is dark and quiet, she made sure to turn off any alarms and lowered the volume on the beeps of the microwave and the oven. She positions a washcloth by the kitchen sink so she can soak it in cool water when Lena gets home and place it against her forehead after she lies down. She studied the information on different massages of the feet, hands, and even around the head that she’s more than willing to try if Lena agrees. 

If Lena is up to it, Kara also has a soda for some caffeine. She'd walked to the nearest gas station for that one, coming home with a bag full of saltines and several types of soda with varying levels of caffeine, setting them all out on the counter. 

Then, she waits. 

Three-thirty comes and goes.

At three-thirty-five, Kara grabs her phone and debates texting Jess. The secretary is professional and very loyal, but she thinks they've been developing a friendship during her visits to L-Corp, and she's pretty sure if she texted about Lena’s health she could get an answer. 

She watches the minutes change on her phone’s display and at three-forty, she seriously considers flying to L-Corp. If she flew at top speed, well, at a speed just below what would cause damage to buildings, she could stop at her apartment to change into her suit and still be at L-Corp in seven minutes. 

She would tell Lena that Kara was worried, that's why Supergirl came to check on her. 

_That would work._ She stands, prepared to head into the backyard and take off, when she picks up the sounds of the entry gate rolling back. Before four on a Monday, it could only be Lena, and Kara focuses to find her heartbeat and the SUVs engine approaching. 

Kara opens the front door as Lena pulls into the driveway and throws the vehicle in park. There's a pause as Lena gathers her strength to push open the door and step into the afternoon sunlight. Kara gets a good look at the pain covering her features and she rushes over, waiting for Lena to unbuckle her seatbelt before opening the car door. 

Kara slips an arm around Lena’s waist and helps her out of the car. “I've got you, sweetheart,” she says softly, “come on, let's get you inside.” She leads Lena into the house, Lena trusting her guidance explicitly as she has her eyes squeezed shut until she's in the bedroom. 

Lena sits on the edge of the bed. “I need to change,” she says, her voice hoarse, and Kara presses a pair of pajamas into her hands. 

“I've got your clothes right here. Will you be okay to change?” Lena whispers that she will, and Kara kisses her shoulder. “I'm going to get some medicine for you, okay? Be right back.”

When Kara taps on the bedroom door a few minutes later, bearing a cool washcloth, bottles of water and soda, and four painkillers, Lena has successfully changed clothes. She's standing near the bed, trying to pull the covers back, but having trouble leaning over without the throbbing in her head becoming too great. 

“Let me help.” Kara sets her supplies down on the small table near Lena’s side of the bed. She tugs the covers down so Lena can climb in, holding them with one hand and offering her other arm to Lena.

With Kara bracing her, Lena maneuvers under the covers and lays her head on the pillow. 

“Hang on, take these before you get comfortable.” Kara hands her the pills and uncaps the bottle of water when that's what Lena requests, placing it to her lips as she raises her head for a few seconds. “There you go.”

Lena settles back against the pillow, eyes closed, clearly concentrating on steadying her breathing, perhaps trying not to cry. 

“Do you want a cool washcloth? Or a massage? There's one that's supposed to be good for a migraine.” Kara taps her fingers against each other, ready to respond instantly to whatever Lena needs. 

“Washcloth, please.” No sooner do the words leave Lena’s mouth than Kara hurries out of the room to fulfill the request. Lena takes a deep breath, exhaling slowly, and by the fourth breath, Kara is back, kneeling at her side and placing the cool cloth against her forehead and bridge of her nose. 

“Anything else?” Kara strokes the dark hair gently. 

“No, that's… this is good.” She sighs at the continued attention. Normally, she would fight any sign of vulnerability, refusing to show weakness, but Kara has long been an exception to that rule. Even now, sick and hurting, she'd power through it until she was alone rather than burden her friend, but this time, she just can't bring herself to push Kara away. 

Having her close is soothing to a level Lena never expected. Not just the medicine and water and supplies she's bringing, though that's certainly convenient. It's more than that… she can't focus on it just now, but the fingers against her skin are soft and she can feel the muscles in her neck and shoulders, knotted by pain, beginning to relax. 

“Do you want me to lay down beside you?” Kara asks, and she kicks off her shoes and socks and immediately climbs under the covers on the other side of the bed when Lena whispers _yes_. With Lena resting on her back, Kara doesn't try to move her to put her arms around her, she just lays close and slips her hand into Lena’s. 

“Let me call Alex,” Kara pleads after a few moments.

Lena squeezes her hand briefly. “Let’s see how tonight goes.” She can accept this vulnerability around Kara, she admits she even _likes_ the attention, but she isn't sure she could handle burdening Kara’s sister with it. “You being here helps.”

Kara turns her head and kisses Lena’s shoulder. “I'm not going anywhere. Try to sleep.”

Lena hums and falls silent. 

Kara waits, listening for Lena’s heartbeat to slow and her breathing to steady. 

She’s still in her jeans and t-shirt from her walk to the gas station, but she’s comfortable enough. _And there’s no way I’m disturbing Lena when she’s finally resting._

When the pained hitches no longer plague Lena’s breathing, Kara gives it another twenty minutes to make sure the woman is sleeping, then closes her eyes and settles for a nap of her own.

Lena wakes briefly at ten-thirty and urges Kara out of bed to have dinner. Kara raids the fridge and rushes through two sandwiches. She brushes her teeth, changes into her pajamas, and then returns to the bedroom with another dose of pain medicine and a fresh damp cloth, both of which Lena accepts gratefully. 

Both are asleep again soon after, Lena’s hand once again securely in Kara’s.

*****

“Kara.”

Lena’s voice is low, just above a whisper, and it's rough. 

_Has she been crying?_

“Kara, please.”

Kara wakes quickly. She shifted in her sleep and somehow turned on her side, away from Lena, and now she reaches a hand out, finding Lena’s arm. “What is it?”

“Something’s wrong. My head, it…” her words break on a grimace, “it hurts. It's so _loud_.”

Kara listens intently. Nothing. At least, nothing Lena should be able to hear. She rolls over, asking, “What's loud, sweetheart? What can I do?” She brushes dark hair from Lena’s face, concerned to find a cold sheen of sweat across her forehead. The fingers of her left hand itch to dial her sister. 

“I don't… I can hear them.”

“Who?”

“ _Everyone_ … but… mostly him. Gregory.”

Kara frowns. 

Lena grasps her hand. “They're coming,” she whispers. “Please, Kara.”

She focuses again and she can hear the shuffle of footsteps on asphalt. At least several dozen people - she pauses to count heartbeats - no, more than fifty. 

_Nearly half the community? Why?_

“I’ll be right back,” she says, and kisses Lena’s shoulder, not wanting to chance a touch against her aching head. 

“No.” Lena clutches her hand tighter. “Don't leave me.”

“Never,” the promise comes easily. “I'm not leaving you, okay? I just need to go see what's happening. Two seconds, okay? I swear.”

Lena releases her grip and heaves a sob at another crack of pain in her skull. 

Kara leaps out of bed and zips down the hall and throws open the front door. The crowd is rounding the corner and turning up the driveway. She squints and though her x-ray vision reveals no weapons, their approach feels menacing. 

Lena’s whimpers are breaking her heart.

She touches her hand to her ear and activates her communication device. 

“Alex, I need you here now.”

“Kara,” Alex startles awake, “what is it?”

“I don’t know, but something's wrong. Lena is hurt. _Please_ , Alex.”

“Hang on, Kara. Fifteen minutes, okay?”

“What do you want?” Kara demands, as Stephen comes within arm’s reach. 

“Why are you so quiet?” he asks, with a smile. “Tell Lena to relax.”

“Get back.”

“It's okay,” Emily soothes, pushing against Kara’s shoulder, “she’ll feel better soon. I brought lemonade.”

Kara plants herself in the doorway. “Go away,” she growls. “Leave us alone.”

“You don't mean that.” Gary starts to tug at her arm. “You’ll change your mind.”

Kara slams the door and throws the deadbolt, taking the bookcase from the office and shoving it against the door in case they try to break it down. She scans the neighborhood. Everyone is trying to come in the front. They might go for the windows next, but the backyard is clear.

Kara hurries into the bedroom, slipping her glasses in her pocket. “Lena, I'm going to stop whatever this is, I promise. Keep your eyes closed, can you do that? I'm going to pick you up. I promise I won't drop you.” Her hand hovers over the woman’s shoulder and she bites her lip, concerned. “Okay?”

Lena closes her eyes tightly. “Please.”

She takes that as an agreement and gathers Lena in her arms, immediately heading for the back door and pushing it open. “Eyes closed, sweetheart, it’ll be okay. I've got you,” Kara murmurs, flying up and over the fences with as much speed as she dares, holding Lena tightly against her chest.

Lena is shaking. 

She lands in the backyard of Gregory’s house and kicks down the door, moving with purpose. 

She follows his heartbeat and finds him seated in an overstuffed chair in the living room. 

He smiles at her, unsurprised. 

Lena cringes away from him, curling deeper into Kara’s arms. 

Kara sets Lena gently on the sofa. When she turns to face Gregory, her fists are clenched.

“Well, this is an interesting development.” His hands are resting casually in his lap and there's a tall glass of water sitting on a coaster on the side table. It's nearly two in the morning but he looks as though he just sat down after finishing a large meal.

Sated. 

“Stop this.”

He chuckles. “Why would I do that?”

Kara grabs him by the shirt and lifts him off his feet. “You have three seconds.”

“Oh.” His grey eyes narrow in a cold stare. “This close… yes, it makes sense now. No wonder I can't see into your mind.”

She stiffens. A telepath? Some sort of psychic, at least, with abilities he's using against Lena and the rest of the community. 

Kara’s eyes begin to glow. “Release her. Now.”

Gregory hums. He's unaffected by her anger. “Oh, let’s see what we have here, shall we?” Lena doubles over, stifling a groan. “Ah, of course. She thinks you're _human_. Doesn't she deserve to know the truth about what you are?”

“Get out of her head!” Kara shouts, shaking him once, hard enough to rattle his teeth.

He never loses his smile.

“Here's another one…” and another agonizing cry from Lena, “she thinks you're her _friend_. Shall I disabuse her of this notion?”

“Stop it!” she roars. 

Her nostrils flare but before she can throw him across the room, a neural disruptor is shoved over his head. 

“We’ve got him, Kara,” Alex says, putting a hand on her sister’s arm. “Stand down.”

Kara is shaking.

“Kara.” Alex tightens the zip ties around his wrists. “Lena needs you right now,” she whispers, “anger comes later.”

Alex knows this is bordering on hypocritical - if the alien telepath was in Maggie’s head, she’d beat him to a pulp and to hell with the neural disruptor - but Kara is better at focusing on ways to help rather than simply getting her anger out. 

Kara drops him to the ground and turns to check on Lena. 

She’s sitting upright, one hand massaging her temples but she seems coherent.

“Lena,” Kara begins, moving as if to sit beside her.

Lena stands. She puts one hand on the back of the sofa to steady herself and refuses Kara’s hand when she offers it. 

Kara drops her arm to her side. “I’ll walk with you,” she says, “um, we’ll have to go in from the back door, but I can -”

“Agent Danvers, I understand you’re busy, but I would like to request a ride home when you have a chance.”

“You can, you can take the rental, I can just -”

“Agent Danvers.”

Alex glances at Kara and then back to Lena. “Uh, sure. I can get Maggie to drive you home if you don't want to wait until I’m done. I’ll call you for your statement later,” she says, thinking Lena might want some time to recover. It’s not ideal but Alex is sure Kara would fight trying to make Lena stay any longer than she’s comfortable. 

“Thank you. I'll pack my things.”

“Lena,” Kara tries again.

Lena pins her with a glare and Kara’s mouth snaps shut. Lena walks out of the room without a backward glance.

“Kara…” Alex begins gently, motioning to a junior agent who takes the shackled alien to the secure transport vehicle. 

Kara just shakes her head. She shoves her hands in the pockets of her pajamas and finds her glasses. She slips them on, hoping for a bit of normalcy, but she feels no better. 

“Okay. I’m going to text Maggie and then we’re going to start interviewing the other victims. Do you… why don’t you help me understand what’s going on.”

Alex taps out a message to her fiancée as Kara fills her in on the last few days.

“So Lena woke up with a headache?” she presses, when Kara gets distracted recounting the most recent events. “Is this what you were telling me about on Saturday?”

“Yeah. It was a really bad one. Like the migraines you used to get, but worse.” Kara braces a hand against her forehead, wondering if her own burgeoning headache is a sort of sympathetic pain. “She said she could hear everyone, the residents, I think, and Gregory.”

Alex tilts her chin. “That’s Gregory?”

“Yeah. So we… I flew her here, Alex, she just, she was hurting so much. I don’t think anyone saw and I doubt Lena realized but I had to.”

“It’s alright,” Alex soothes, because there’s no sense scolding her when her sister is already so near falling apart, “we’ll look into it.”

“He was here and he was… he was in her head, _hurting_ her. I tried to get him to stop but he, he didn’t, until you got the disruptor on him.” Kara sniffs. “How did you know?”

“I didn’t, not for sure. The disruptor is standard issue on a capture operation.” She crosses her arms. “You think he was messing with all of the residents?”

Kara nods. “Probably.”

“Then they’re going to have some serious questions, assuming they remember what’s been going on, and I’ll tell the medical team to expect headaches. We’ll handle the interviews, unless you want to help?”

“I should,” Kara licks her lips, “I think I should check on Lena.”

Alex open her mouth, closes it, and opens it again. “Are you sure?”

“I want to try.”

*****

Barefoot, Lena keeps to the neatly-mowed lawns as much as possible, going through the side gate and then the back door of what she’d thought of as home for the last ten days. 

She closes the door behind her, pauses, then throws the lock. 

Her hands are shaking.

She takes a slow breath, then another.

She leans against the kitchen counter, bracing her hands on the granite, feeling the tremble in her limbs as the adrenaline begins to ebb. 

When she’s feeling steadier, she lifts her head and pads toward the hallway, pausing when she gets a good look at the bookcase shoved against the front door. 

Before she can wonder how, she remembers: _alien_. 

Kara is an alien. 

_Kara lied._

Lena continues into the bedroom, pulling out one of the cardboard boxes and setting it on the bed. She opens the top drawer in the dresser and begins moving clothes into the box. 

_Lied._

A few pairs of underwear. 

_About being human._

A stack of socks. 

_About being your friend._

She reaches for a few shirts. 

_About loving you._

The shirts tumble into the box in a heap as sudden sobs threaten to overtake her.

*****

Kara glances at the two helicopters visible just outside Arcadum - _that’s how Alex got here so fast_ \- but ignores the agents nearby. She takes her time walking down the block and across the small street to their house on Petrie. No superhuman powers. Just a shuffling movement, part hesitant fear and part significant concern. 

The back door is closed. 

It’s also locked. 

Kara swallows. She could easily bypass the lock or even go through the front door and just shove the bookcase out of the way, but she doesn’t want to scare Lena any more than she already is after the night’s events. 

She knocks softly. “Lena, it’s me, um, I just wanted to check on you. Do you want me to, I mean, I can move the bookcase if you want.” Her shoulders sag when there’s no answer. She focuses on the woman’s heartbeat and it's fast but strong, so hopefully her headache is better now that Gregory is in custody. 

Slipping her glasses down her nose, Kara determines that Lena is in the bedroom, gathering her clothes and methodically packing them up. She transfers two shirts from drawer to box and then rests one hand heavily against the mattress, other pressed to her chest, head bowed, and her shoulders begin to shake. 

Kara replaces her glasses and turns away, refusing to listen any longer, tears squeezing free as she closes her eyes. She puts a hand over her mouth to muffle the sound.

*****

When Maggie pulls into Arcadum, the first thing she notices is the gaggle of people near the corner house. Then she picks out several solid black uniforms and a slender form with red hair and understands that must be all the interviews Alex mentioned. 

For a moment she wishes she could help, but then she recalls her help has already been requested. 

She follows the curve until she gets to Petrie and finds 450, parking beside the SUV in the driveway. She gets out, closing the door quietly out of habit given the late hour, and walks up to the front door, knocking firmly. 

“It’s Maggie,” she calls. 

“Come around back,” is the reply from within. 

Maggie finds the latch on the side gate and then knocks again on the back door, gentler this time. She hears the lock release but waits, not wanting to just burst into the room. When Lena calls for her to enter, Maggie turns the knob and pushes the door open, finding Lena sitting at the island in the kitchen. 

Maggie closes the door and looks around the kitchen and dining room. “Nice place.”

Lena gives her a weak smile. “Yeah. Thank you for coming, Detective Sawyer.”

The woman raises an eyebrow. “I thought we were past that.”

“I… you’re right, I’m sorry. It’s been quite a night.”

“Hey, that’s okay.” Maggie stands near the island, leaning her forearms on the countertop. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“No.” She softens her tone and tries again. “No, thank you, I just… I’d like to go home and Agent, well, Alex is going to be busy here for a while, I think.”

“Sure, Alex mentioned you needed a ride.” The redhead’s text also very pointedly included a _do not talk about Kara_ line, so she refrains from asking why Kara doesn’t drive her home. 

She points to the boxes on the dining room table. “Is that all you have?” When Lena nods, Maggie heads for the front door. “Let me pop the trunk so we can - oh.” She glances between the woman and the bookcase. There’s only one person she knows that could have moved a fully loaded bookcase and she’s been explicitly told _not_ to ask about this specific Kryptonian, so Maggie bites her lip. “Um, do you, want to help me get this out of the way?”

Lena shakes her head. “Leave it. We’ll just go around.”

Maggie takes the heaviest of the boxes and they maneuver through the backyard to the driveway, and she uses the key fob to open the trunk and they quickly load the boxes. 

“I know it’s late,” she says, as Lena climbs into the passenger seat, “but did you want to grab a bite to eat? Are you hungry or anything?”

“I’m fine, thank you.”

“You can choose the music,” Maggie offers, backing out of the driveway, but Lena doesn’t reach for the radio. 

Maggie drums her fingers on the steering wheel. The discomfort is rolling off her passenger in waves, the despair is a glowing neon sign and she really wishes she could do something. 

While she and Lena have gotten closer over the past year, as everyone’s tried to spend more time together - experiencing a hostile alien invasion and coming out on the other side has a way of bonding those most involved - she isn’t sure how far she can push. Alex specifically said _no Kara talk_ which removes at least seventy percent of Lena’s usual topics of conversation.

“I know you said you don’t want to talk about it,” Maggie says, at last, “but I’m here to listen, okay? I’m your friend.”

Lena hesitates, stuck for a moment, as though it isn’t her secret to tell, as though speaking the words ‘Kara is an alien’ would be a betrayal of something, of some trust that she wasn’t even sure was real… but then she remembers Maggie’s decided lack of questioning about the bookcase and realizes she was probably the last person to know. 

_Of course. Why tell a Luthor?_

She grimaces as her stomach roils. 

_Remember how difficult it was for Kara to get on board with pretending to date?_ Everything begins to fall into place and Lena grips the purse in her lap, feeling lightheaded when the truth descends. _She’s had to work every day just to pretend to be a friend, no wonder trying to pretend anything more was so hard for her._

 _Of course._ Lena stares out the window as they travel down the freeway. She clenches her jaw, swallowing hard, refusing to let the tears fall. _She forced herself to do this for her article, that’s all this was. A means to an end._

 _I knew it could never be real._ She bites her lip, trying to slow her breathing so Maggie doesn’t notice. _Fool. I was a fool to believe she was my friend and an even bigger fool to ever think she could have feelings for me._

She’s quiet the entire drive, only speaking to thank Maggie for bringing her home. 

Maggie loads the boxes onto the luggage cart the doorman brings, and then she watches the woman disappear into the building. 

Maggie sits behind the wheel for a moment before pulling away from the curb.

_This is bad._

*****

Alex doesn’t ask about Kara’s red-rimmed eyes and just puts her to work. 

It’s past six in the morning when the last interview is taken and the last patient questioned, most of the residents accepting bottled water and some painkillers but otherwise refusing treatment, although all seven mothers-to-be wanted to ensure their children would be safe and so allowed the extra examinations and basic blood work. 

Everyone receives a business card from Alex Danvers, FBI, and promises to call if they think of anything additional or have any questions, and Alex agrees to reach out with any pertinent details they discover during their investigation. 

When they’re all dismissed, the civilians slowly walk back to their homes, couples standing close but most neighbors keep their distance. 

Kara wonders if any of them will choose to stay in Arcadum. 

“Ready to go get your stuff?”

Kara sighs. “I guess.” She leads Alex down Anderson and onto Petrie. “We can go in the back door,” she says, and Alex gets a glimpse of the bookcase blocking the front door before there’s a blur and it’s gone. 

“What was that about?”

“I told you, they were trying to get to Lena.” 

She walks slowly down the hall and Alex follows. Kara steps into the bedroom and stares at the nightstand, bare, and she pictures where Lena’s watch and bottle of water would normally sit, and a sigh is stolen from her lungs before she can stop it. 

“What’s going on here?” Alex asks gently, reaching for Kara’s arm, but the blonde steps away. 

“Nothing. I’m gonna pack, okay. Just give me a minute.”

“Alright.” Alex heads into the living room, giving Kara the space she requested. She checks her phone, the first chance she’s had since the interviews began. 

_Maggie: Something is definitely wrong, but Lena wouldn’t talk._

She types a quick response. _Sorry it’s so late, just wrapping up now. Kara isn’t saying anything either. *worried emoji*_

Kara pulls the boxes from the closet and uses her super speed to gather her belongings, throwing in her clothes, adding her laptop and the framed photo last. 

Alex raises an eyebrow when Kara drops the boxes on the dining room table. She stuffs her phone back in her pocket. “Ready to get out of here?”

“Yeah.” She loads the boxes into the back of the SUV, handing the keys over to Alex without argument when she asks. Kara climbs into the passenger seat and buckles up, pulling out her phone, holding her breath as she checks for notifications. 

Nothing.

She sighs and begins to type a text to Lena as Alex puts the car in gear. A simple _Are you okay?_ is what she sends off immediately, but when there’s no response, and no indication Lena saw it, she clucks her tongue and begins working on another message.

They’re on the freeway before she crafts something she’s satisfied with. _I’m so sorry you were hurt, please let me know if you’re okay? We don’t have to talk about anything, I’m just worried._

When she sighs again, Alex reaches out and pats her knee. “What’s wrong?”

“Lena isn’t seeing my messages.”

“Well, it _is_ almost six-thirty in the morning after a hell of a night,” she points out, “so she’s probably sleeping.”

“Maybe.” Kara could cast her hearing out and find Lena’s heartbeat, she could check if she was really sleeping, but there’s a sinking feeling in her stomach that tells her she doesn’t want to know. “Yeah, I bet you’re right.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember the tag - angst with a happy ending - we'll get there.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gregory talks. Unfortunately, Lena and Kara don't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully this helps answer any lingering questions about the mystery at Arcadum!
> 
> Note: the angst for our girls continues, but begins to look up in chapter 10 (there’s a reason, honest). If you want to wait for a few days and read the next couple of chapters all at once, I totally understand. I wanted to give a heads up for those that don’t want to end a chapter still in angst-ville. I don't often write heavy angst for this long, so I felt the need to flag it for y'all a little.

The interrogation is scheduled for the afternoon, giving the agents involved time to gather their notes, decide on an angle, and, potentially, sleep. 

The agents involved, of course, do all but the last. 

Alex calls Lena for her statement, careful to keep the conversation strictly about her experiences in Arcadum. Lena answers her questions and, after they hang up, pours another glass of scotch. 

Kara texts Snapper when she gets home at eight, in case he sees something on the news, letting him know their stay is over and she’ll have something for him by Friday. He immediately replies he wants a draft the following day and she tosses her phone across the apartment to land on her bed, too angry to respond without losing her job. 

She unpacks and spends hours waiting for Lena to text her back. She sends another message at two, before she goes to the DEO, saying that she hopes Lena was able to get some rest, but there’s no indication her texts are being seen.

She changes into her suit and lands at the DEO a minute later, heading directly to the holding cells. 

Alex gives her a concerned frown but Kara shakes her head, not willing to talk about it, and Alex nods, clearing the worry from her face. “We didn’t get much information from him during processing,” she says, “other than he’s an Edurian and he’s been on Earth for almost twenty years. He hasn’t spoken much, except to ask for a glass of water.” She pats the water bottle resting in her cargo pocket. “He’ll get _this_ when he’s answered some questions.”

Kara nods, jaw clenched. “Let’s go.”

Alex grabs her arm. “Hang on a second,” she lowers her voice, “let me do the talking in there, okay?”

“I can question a suspect, Alex,” Kara huffs.

“I know you can, but you’re too close to this one. We need information on more than just what happened with Lena.” She squeezes Kara’s elbow gently. “I’ll get him to tell us, I promise.”

The glower deepens but Kara nods sharply. “Fine.”

Alex motions to the guards at the door and they shift their hold on their weapons. “Ready, Agent Danvers.” They’ll provide armed backup in the event the alien tries to escape or somehow breaks out of the holding cell, and they remain on alert any time there’s an agent in the room. 

Kara pulls open the door but lets Alex go first. 

Gregory sits upright on the bed in the cell, feet planted firmly on the floor, hands in his lap, eyes closed. He seems relaxed and comfortable. 

Kara’s skin itches and she can tell she’s grinding her teeth. She hates seeing him at ease. He _hurt_ people, he _hurt_ Lena. At the very least, he should be uncomfortable, inconvenienced. 

“Gregory Velan, is it?” Alex asks, stopping a few feet from the cell. 

“You have my identification, as you have my wallet,” he says, opening his eyes slowly. He smiles. “I believe you said your name was Agent Danvers.” He turns his gaze to the superhero. “And you claimed your name was Kara, but I have no idea if that’s true or not. I imagine you’ve been telling a lot of lies, haven’t you?”

“Hey,” Alex barks, “we’ll ask the questions. You wanted water? I’ve got some, but you’re going to have to play along.”

He turns his attention back to the redhead. “Very well.”

“This cell has a psychic dampening field,” she says, noticing his stare, “so you won’t be able to hear my thoughts.”

His smile grows. “I know. It’s so quiet in here. I like it.”

Kara growls deep in her throat. 

“How did you come to Earth?”

“My planet was under attack,” the smile fades, “and we were ordered to evacuate. We scattered across the universe, looking for any hospitable environment. I ended up here.”

“Are there any more of your people here?”

“Not that I know of. I tried to locate other survivors from Eduris my first few years on this planet, but found none.”

Alex takes the water bottle from her pocket and holds it in one hand. The alien keeps his gaze locked on it. “What are your abilities?”

“Telepathy.”

“Details,” Alex demands.

He sighs. “I’ll tell you everything, but then I want that water.”

“Everything.”

His shoulders droop and he slouches against the wall of his cell. “I didn’t have any of these powers back home, it’s only since coming to Earth that I have any of these _abilities_ , as you call them. It took me some time to realize what was happening. When I first landed, I was in a very isolated part of what I know now is Nevada. Not a lot of people. I’d hear snippets of thoughts, nothing much, I could mostly blame it on fatigue or dehydration.” He licks his lips. “Then I spent more time on this planet, Earth with its yellow sun, and it got worse. Six months after I fled my home planet I was certain that I was going to go insane here.”

Kara uncrosses her arms and rests her hands on her hips, tilting her head slightly as he continues speaking. 

“I can hear the thoughts of every human within about a one mile radius of my position. There’s no way for me to block it out. It’s just… so much noise. There was one man in particular whose thoughts were so loud, he was very angry, and his incessant rage began to spread to me.” 

Gregory takes a deep breath. “He was planning to kill his wife. I considered calling the police, but I had no idea how I was going to convince them he was dangerous, and I was, I was terrified that if I didn’t stop him, if I heard his thoughts as he killed her, that I… I wouldn’t survive that.” He fall silent for a few moments, then continues, quietly, “So the night before he was going to do it, I focused on him, I tried to pluck his thoughts from my head and follow them, I wanted to see if I could influence his decision.

“I did.” He smiles again, in remembered relief. “I convinced him that he had more control over his life than he believed, that he could make changes for the better, that his wife did love him… and then I passed out for about two days. 

“It took so much energy. I studied Earth’s compounds and started working as a chemist not long after - it’s much like my previous work back home - and it gave me access to everything I needed. I began conducting experiments to try to find something that would make it easier for me to influence the human mind and also make it easier for them to accept my nudges, so to speak.”

Alex’s eyes grow wide. “The enzymes in the water at Arcadum.”

“Ah, so you tested that… yes, that’s the end result of more than ten years of work perfecting that combination,” he says with pride. “It sort of relaxes the natural telepathic barriers that humans have in their brains, some stronger than others, and it makes them slightly more," he clears his throat, " _compliant_ , shall we say, to my influences.”

“You were hurting humans,” Kara snarls.

“No,” he insists, shaking his head, “there shouldn’t be any pain involved. Well, minimal, maybe a slight headache, but nothing out of the ordinary for most humans. I specifically designed it to be ingested in regular doses across a seventy-two hour period, to reach the appropriate levels without discomfort.”

“Then why was Lena in pain?”

Gregory shrugs with one shoulder. “I really don’t know. Did she drink water daily? Or the lemonade? Many humans noted a bitter taste when the enzymes were present, so I added lemons and sugar to make it more palatable.”

“No, she only had bottled water.”

“Oh. Then, she was only absorbing the enzymes when she showered or brushed her teeth, that sort of thing.” He considers the situation and nods to himself. “Within about four to five days of new arrivals to Arcadum, I start reaching out, telepathically, looking to form that first connection with myself and the others in the community. If she didn’t have the full dosage at that time, there might have been some pain when we tried to get through.”

Alex raises an eyebrow. “The residents of Arcadum can communicate telepathically with each other?”

He waggles his hand. “Mostly what you’d call empathy or a feeling of kinship, working together to complete tasks more efficiently, things like that. They were aware of each other’s thoughts, and my presence at the start would ensure they weren’t scared by that development, but didn’t speak back and forth in that way.” 

He looks to Kara again. “I remember trying to reach Lena’s mind a few days ago and thought she might just have a very stubborn telepathic block - same as you, since you weren’t registering, either. Last night, I decided to send the residents to help bring her into the fold, so to speak; I asked them to approach her, to be kind, to convince her this was okay.”

Kara points a finger at him. “She said she could hear their voices, and yours, and she was _hurting_. When I brought her to you, you forced your way into her mind and cause her more pain.”

“At that point, it was self defense,” he claims. “You barged into my house and assaulted me.”

Before Kara can growl another response, Alex puts a hand on her shoulder. “Supergirl.” Kara glares at her and juts her chin out in frustration, but stays quiet. 

“Why did you build Arcadum?” Alex asks. 

“I wanted a place where I could have peace, where the humans around me would know peace. Your species is so quick to anger and hatred,” he explains, “but with a little push from me, your mental focus can be so much sharper, your emotions can be smoother, you can know calm and quiet, you can work together instead of trying to compete. 

“If I was going to be stuck here, at the mercy of everyone’s thoughts around me, I figured the least I could do was try to make those thoughts more pleasant for myself and the humans.” He clears his throat. “I realized that if the humans were cooperative, after the enzyme, I could easily handle the thoughts of about one hundred of them without feeling overwhelmed. 

“I decided if I could build a community, some place where I could have a hundred people, and then no one else within a mile, I could actually live a good life on Earth. After the Alien Amnesty Act, most businesses were eager to get in on this new demographic, so getting the loans for the land and the construction was simple. I researched until I found the area outside of National City, where we could have a private community without city ordinances, and I began teleworking with the laboratory so I could remain at Arcadum full-time.” Alex clearly wants more details, so he sighs. “I wanted couples only, in order to promote happiness between established relationships, rather than worrying about random people coming in and out, and because setting two known people on a common goal is easier than convincing one at a time.”

“What about the Rodstads? The people who lived there before?” Kara questions, her sharp tone earning a look from her sister. 

“They disrupted the harmony,” Gregory sighs, shaking his head. “Do you believe in curses? Maybe that house is cursed. That was the last house to be rented, it stood empty for so long, and then, when they came, they just fought. All the time.” He rubs at his temples as though they ache. “It’s quiet at night, so we can think and, I suppose you’d call it, _commune_ , but they threw that all into chaos with the screaming and the loud thoughts. They had to leave.”

After a pause, Alex asks, “Why the focus on kids?”

“Oh, that’s… that was a side effect of the enzyme combination. Increased fertility.” He grins. “Can you imagine a child who is empathetic with neighbors and complies with their parents requests? When everyone is working together, it’s such a pleasant environment.”

Kara clenches her fists. “You weren’t making some Utopian society, you were creating a hive mind and treating humans like slaves.”

“No, free will was never affected. These were suggestions, maybe with a little more persuasion than the average infomercial, but no one was forced to do anything.” He looks pointedly at the water bottle Alex is holding. “That’s all I know.”

She nods and opens the cell just long enough to toss him the bottle. He unscrews the cap and drinks it all, then holds the bottle out for Alex to take back, which she does, immediately replacing the dampener. 

“May I have another?”

“You’ll get more at dinner.”

“I don’t know what you plan to do with me,” he calls, as the women turn to walk out of the room, “but until your decision is made, can I stay in one of these cells? Not having to hear anyone’s thoughts, it’s… it’s nice.”

He gets no response and the door slams shut behind them.

*****

Kara is furious, pacing the moment she’s out of the room. 

“How could he do that? He’s so… and then he just _smiles_! He hurt all those people, and he just…” she finishes in a growl. 

Alex lets her go for a few moments, then waves a hand for the guards to depart. When it’s just her and her sister, she sighs, “Okay, what’s going on?”

“What do you mean, what’s going on? Alex, you were in there, you heard him!”

“Yeah, I did. I heard a refugee explain how he tried to come to terms with new powers without losing his mind.”

Kara comes to an abrupt halt and stares. “What is… are you seriously taking his side?”

“I’m a little surprised you _aren’t_.”

“He hurt over a hundred people, Alex.”

“Including Lena.”

“Wh- yes, including Lena.”

“Have you talked with her?”

Kara swallows. “No. Not yet.”

Alex leans against the wall. “Maybe you should.”

“I’ve been _trying_. She isn’t answering my texts.”

“Maybe you can go see her?”

Kara blinks, then shakes her head. “I don’t have time. Snapper wants a draft of the article by tomorrow morning.” She runs a hand through her hair. “Whatever, I’ll get to it. Are we finished here?”

Alex nods slowly. “Yeah, we’re done.”

Kara takes off and Alex watches her go, worrying her bottom lip. 

*****

Snapper barely glances at the draft she puts on his desk Thursday morning. 

“Do it again.”

“What, I mean, you haven’t even read it.”

“I read enough,” he growls, pulling his glasses down his nose to stare at her. “Do it. Again. Tomorrow by eleven.”

She frowns. “What do you want me to change?”

“Focus on the human story. You were there, tell it. Details. Who did you take with you?”

Kara stiffens. “I won’t name my source.”

Snapper arches a dangerous eyebrow. “Your _source_? You don’t have a source for this story, you have a _partner_ that willingly agreed to be part of your cover. Correct?”

“Yes,” she gets out through clenched teeth.

“I want a name.”

“I’ll rewrite this and have it for you tomorrow morning.”

He slams has hand on the paper before she can pull it away. “Name.”

“No.” Kara licks her lips. “I need to make sure they’re okay with being identified.”

Snapper eyes her carefully and removes his hand. “Eleven sharp, ponytail. You’d better have something better than this.”

She takes the paper and retreats to her desk, collapsing in her chair and holding her head in her hands. 

Lena still isn’t responding to her texts, and either she turned the read receipt off on her phone or she isn’t even looking at them. She even called twice, but it went to voicemail after a few rings, which doesn’t help Kara determine if Lena is screening her calls or just very busy catching up at L-Corp.

 _Well, this is official business, right? I have to ask if Lena’s okay with being in the article by name. So I’ll just call L-Corp._ She dials Lena’s office number and crosses her fingers.

“L-Corp, this is Jess speaking. How may I help you?”

“Oh, hi, Jess, it’s Kara. Um, Kara Danvers,” she adds, when there’s silence on the other end.

“Good morning, Ms. Danvers.”

“Right, hi. Is Lena in?”

“I’m afraid Ms. Luthor is extremely busy at the moment,” Jess replies immediately. 

Kara leans over, resting her forehead on the edge of her desk. She stares at her shoes and continues speaking. “Can I leave a message? I just need to ask her about -”

“Ms. Luthor’s schedule is really quite full.”

“Okay. Well, I -”

“If there’s nothing else, Ms. Danvers, I must -”

She clenches a fist against her thigh to keep from putting it through her desk. “Jess, please, wait. Just… is she okay? Please?”

There’s a pause where Kara’s heart beats painfully, where she thinks she might get through to the secretary, but then, “Have a good day, Ms. Danvers,” and there’s a dial tone in her ear. 

_Damn it._

*****

Jess sits at her desk for a few moments, debating her next course of action. Her boss has been back in the office for less than four hours but it’s clear something is very wrong. More than the headache that plagued her on Tuesday and kept her out of work entirely on Wednesday, though Jess suspects the pain is still lingering.

Lena walked in at six a.m. and promptly told Jess that under no circumstances was she going to receive any messages from Kara Danvers.

Jess nodded, made a note, and began to worry. Honestly, if she wasn’t so certain the pair was too oblivious to figure it out on their own, she’d have suspected they had been dating and had broken up. But no, this had to be something else.

Now she has a dilemma. Lena clearly doesn’t want to speak to Kara, which Jess can handle easily enough, but is she supposed to tell Lena the woman had called at all? 

She knocks softly on the office door and then pokes her head in.

Lena is seated at her desk, tablet propped up on its stand, laptop open, and she's comparing figures between the two. 

“Ms. Danvers called for you.” Lena’s head snaps up but before she can open her mouth to reprimand Jess, she continues, “I told her you were busy, but I did want to let you know she was trying to reach you. In case she sends an email next.”

“Hm.” Lena sighs, eyeing her tablet as if it's going to betray her by letting an email from Kara Danvers get by. “Thank you, Jess.”

Jess hesitates for only a moment before closing the door softly and returning to her desk. 

_It hasn’t even been a day,_ she reminds herself. _No reason to get overly concerned just yet._

*****

Lena calls up her email app just to be sure. 

Two new messages download, but neither are from Kara. 

She glances at her phone. That's a different story entirely. Five text messages and two voicemails so far. She's seen the preview blurb for the texts and the transcription estimate for the voicemails, but she refuses to actually play them in full. 

Kara Danvers is not her friend. 

Kara Danvers is a reporter for Catco.

Lena Luthor is not friends with reporters. 

If Catco needs a quote from her for an article, they can use another reporter. 

With that decided, Lena exits her email and returns to the spreadsheets. 

*****

Kara plans to spend the rest of her day banging her head against her desk, trying to come up with a different angle for the article, but an apartment fire downtown gets her attention for the evening. Between Supergirl and the fire department, they manage to keep it from spreading and there are only minor injuries. The structure is beyond repair but no lives are lost, so Kara marks that as a win. 

“Nice work down there, Supergirl,” J’onn praises when she lands at the DEO to file her after action report. 

“Thanks.” She sinks into the nearest open chair and logs in to the computer. “I'll have the report to you in about five minutes. Pretty straight forward. No surprises.”

“That’s good to hear.” He takes a few steps closer. Not for the first time, he wishes he could read Kryptonian’s minds. “Agent Danvers briefed me on the interrogation yesterday afternoon.”

Kara grunts that she’s listening as she types. 

“Do you have any suggestions for how we should proceed?”

She shrugs. “He manipulated the minds of over one hundred people. I'd say that's a good reason for staying locked up for a long time.”

J’onn nods slowly. “That's true. However, the case is also being made that he never actually hurt anyone. In fact, if his allegations about the beginning of his life here on Earth are true, his first use of his powers was to save a life.”

Kara goes rigid. “He hurt Lena.”

“Unintentionally, he says.”

She slams the Enter key so hard the keyboard cracks.

“Sent you the report. I’ll be at home if anything else comes up.” Kara gets to her feet and meets his gaze. “If he's let go, it's going to be a mistake.”

And then she's gone.

J’onn sighs. He touches his earpiece. “No luck, Agent Danvers. She's still very angry.”

“I copy. Thank for trying,” she says, and grabs a pint of ice cream from the freezer. 

Kara glides in through the open window of her apartment a few minutes later and pauses when she sees her sister standing in the kitchen. 

“What are you doing here?”

“You've had a rough few days,” Alex shrugs. “I figured you could use some ice cream and Netflix vegging. We can marathon some Parks and Rec. I'll even let you start at the third season.”

Kara shakes her head, already out of her suit and into pajamas. “I can't.”

“Tomorrow night, then?”

She throws her hands up. “I don't know, Alex, okay? It depends if Snapper accepts the complete rewrite of my article that I have to do tonight.”

“We can invite Maggie and Lena and make it a girls night,” she offers. “How about that?”

“Just drop it.”

“Drop what?”

“Lena still isn't talking to me, so just, stop. She's not going to come to girls night.”

Alex frowns. “What happened between you two?”

“Nothing!” Kara groans. “Just leave her alone, okay?”

“Alright,” Alex concedes. _For now._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our girls will get a happy ending, I promise! Hang in there.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angst continues. Friends try to help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of y'all are pretty spot on with what's going to happen next! I've had the twelfth chapter written since I started posting, so I'm just working on 13 now (and maybe 14, depends what my beta reader thinks).

Kara reworks the article until two in the morning, drops it on Snapper’s desk at ten, and then retreats to her private office so she can breathe. 

There's a knock on the door and she sighs, preparing herself for another dressing down. 

“Come in.”

James strides into the office, closing the door firmly behind him. 

Kara blinks. “Oh, I thought it might be Snapper, but I should have known. He doesn't knock.”

“I read your draft,” he says, nearing the small desk. “What really happened?”

“I wrote the truth,” Kara replies, frowning. 

“No, I don't mean… listen, I _know_ the things you wrote, the attack, couldn't have affected you.” He raises an eyebrow. “Someone was hurt out there. Who was it?”

Kara gets to her feet. “You can't tell Snapper.”

“Alright, just between us.” James raises his right hand when Kara stares at him. “It won't leave this room. Promise.”

She looks at him for a moment longer. “Lena.”

He blinks, as though he can’t believe what he’s hearing. “You… you took Lena Luthor to Arcadum? As your _wife_?”

The blonde grits her teeth. “We said we were dating, but yes.”

“That's dangerous.”

“Will you _stop_ with that already?”

James breathes through his nose. “So everything you wrote in the article, happened to Lena?”

Kara sinks back down onto her chair. “Yeah.”

“Is she okay?”

“She's back at work, at least, so… maybe? But she will also work through almost anything, so maybe not.” Kara licks her lips, swallowing hard. “She won't talk to me. I don't really know.”

James squints as he tries to follow. “Why isn't she talking to you? What else went on out there?”

Kara shakes her head. “Nothing.”

He gives her another minute to reply but when she's silent, he sighs and crosses his arms. “Look, Snapper showed me the article because he wants you to name the other person. He thinks I’ll order you to do that.”

“I never talked about that with Lena, her name in the article and all that. I can't just do that to her.”

There are two things James Olsen knows about Lena Luthor: one, she's plotting three steps ahead of the rest of them, and two, Kara will do anything to keep her safe. Not just physically, but also in the press. Expecting Kara to put Lena in a potentially difficult situation for an article is simply not going to happen.

“You've tried to reach her?”

Her expression falls and she focuses intently on arranging the pens on her desk. “Every day. I even emailed her this morning before I turned in the draft, but she never read it.”

He runs a hand over his face. “Alright. I’ll get Snapper to back off on naming your partner. He might make you redo some of the article again, I can’t stop him on that one.”

Kara shrugs, flipping through a pad of blank sticky notes. “It’s fine.”

Knowing there’s nothing else to say, he quietly leaves Kara to herself.

The moment he’s back in his office, he pulls out his phone and texts Alex. 

_Now a good time to call? About Kara._

His phone rings two seconds later. 

“She's not hurt, sorry, should have led with that.”

“Damn right,” Alex growls, taking a slow breath to calm her spiking heartbeat. She maneuvers away from the operations center and ducks into an empty conference room. “Okay, what’s going on?”

James fills her in on the conversation he'd just had with Kara. “Do you know what happened out there? She wouldn't say much.”

Alex sighs. “I'm trying to give her a little time. I've asked but she isn't talking to me about it either… I'm going to let her come to me when she's ready.” She puts her free hand on her hip, hanging her head. “We’re all worried about her but I'm hoping she'll reach out soon.”

“Yeah,” James echoes her sigh. “You know Lena Luthor isn't my favorite person, but she means a lot to Kara.” He scratches the back of his head. “Do you think we should try to talk to her? Lena, I mean.”

There's a long silence as Alex considers the idea. “Maybe. Not right now, but I’ll keep it in mind, definitely. And James…” she pauses, gentling her tone, “it might be time to come around a little. About Lena. Even if it's mostly for Kara; it was for me, at first,” Alex hopes he understands what she's trying to say, “but after the invasion, I think I know her a little better. And I like what I see.”

James rests his free hand on his desk. “I'll try.”

*****

Friday evening, Jess drags her feet, putting off her departure as long as she can, hoping Lena will decide to go home at a decent hour. 

By seven-thirty, she begins to shuffle the papers around her desk, tidying for the next morning. 

_I’ve already been late twice this week,_ she sighs, placing the records she’ll need for Lena’s first meeting on Monday on top of the stack. _If I’m not home to feed Gus at eight, there will be a mutiny._ She adores her cat but she’s confident he loves scheduled meals more than he does her.

She knocks lightly and then pushes open the office door. Lena is at her desk, reviewing notes from the meetings Jess attended during the ten days she was out of the office. It's the same thing she was doing at lunch when Jess checked in and she suspects her boss is having trouble concentrating. 

“Ms. Luthor, is there anything I can do for you before I head out for the evening?”

“No, thank you, Jess. Enjoy your weekend.”

Jess lifts her chin slightly. “And you?”

Lena doesn't look up. “And me, what?”

“Are you even going to have a weekend?”

Now she sighs and puts down her pen. “Jess. I appreciate your concern, but I -”

“You aren't fine. I didn't buy it yesterday and I don't buy it today.” That earns her a sharply raised eyebrow but Jess licks her lips and continues. She won't get fired for this… she's _pretty_ sure. “I'm not going to pry, you don't have to tell me, but I am going to ask you to take care of yourself.”

Lena stares at her long enough that Jess begins to rethink her job security. 

_Well, if she fires me, I'll just reapply. She can hire me back whenever whatever this is, is done._

That settled, Jess straightens her back. “Please.”

“It is that noticeable?” Lena asks quietly, at last. 

Jess takes a half-step forward. “Not to anyone except me, I don't think. I've seen you through far too many late nights… that’s not what this is.”

“No,” she agrees, “it isn't.” Lena pushes away from her desk, standing. “I'll go home.”

“Will you sleep?”

“I can't promise anything,” she says, trying to joke, but Jess gives her the same bleak look. “I'll try.”

Jess nods. It's all she can hope for, really. “Very well. Good night, Ms. Luthor.”

“Really? You're going to cajole me into taking care of myself and then go right back to Ms. Luthor?”

“Um,” Jess stammers uncharacteristically, “no?”

Lena lets one corner of her mouth curl up into something resembling a smile. “Go home, Jess. I'm texting David now.”

“Good night, Lena,” Jess says softly, when her boss swipes open her phone and begins to tap a message to her driver. “See you Monday.”

*****

Lena goes home and tries to sleep. 

Honestly, she does - for Jess if for nothing else - but sleep continues to elude her. 

She lays awake past two a.m., stuck in a frustrating loop of demanding her mind stop thinking of Arcadum, at which point she begins remembering Kara wrapped around her at night, and she decides nothing in her brain is going to let her rest. 

She drifts off for an hour or so but is awake again by five.

 _Might as well get some work done._ She texts Martin, knowing David would drive her without hesitation but he prefers to spend Saturday mornings with his wife and two daughters when possible, and she's back at L-Corp before seven. 

Breakfast was half a bowl of oatmeal, though lunch and dinner are pushed aside. She tells herself it’s to remain focused on the work, on catching up from her absence, but the truth is every delivery place reminds her of Kara and she just avoids it entirely. 

The sun sets and she remains in her darkened office, the light from her laptop screen illumination enough. 

At eight-thirty she debates going home. Jess messaged her once, at six, ostensibly to say hello but Lena can read her concern even through text; Lena assured her she'd eaten (she didn't specify when) and that she would try to sleep (again without confirming a timeframe). 

Her phone buzzes again, rattling slightly against the desk, and she glances at the screen, expecting a follow-up text from Jess, perhaps with a little more obvious chastisement. 

_Are you okay? I haven't hear-_

That's all she can read from the preview of Kara’s text message. 

Lena clears the notification and does not open the app. 

She works through the night. 

*****

It's been a long time since she slept at the office, but Lena stretches out on the couch Saturday night and wakes to the sun streaming in from the wall of windows. 

She's too warm and drinks two glasses of water from the pitcher at her cabinet. 

She spends Sunday with her shoes off, blazer hung on the back of her chair, relaxed in her office as she'd never be during the week. She digs through her desk drawers for a few meal bars and one package of peanut M&Ms.

Kara tries another message, this time closer to ten at night, and Lena registers the words _so sorry_ before she deletes the notification banner. 

*****

When she wakes on Monday morning, at first she thinks she must have requested a ride home and simply been too tired to remember. It's the only explanation she can think of for why she has a blanket draped over her. 

Then she spies the glass of water, two aspirin, and change of clothes on the coffee table. There's a small carry out container next to a medium coffee and Lena suspects the container holds a plain bagel. 

_Jess._ She shakes her head. _Another raise coming your way, it seems._

The woman had also rolled the rarely-used three-sided partition into the room, giving Lena privacy to change without needing to exit the office. 

“Yes, I’m calling to reschedule your appointment with Ms. Luthor,” she can hear Jess’ cool professional tone through the doors. “No, I apologize for the short notice, there was an unforeseen conflict with this afternoon. Does Thursday at two work? Excellent, we will see you then. Yes, you too.”

A few moments later, Jess has dialed the next person on her list and she goes through a similar spiel. She reschedules everything for Wednesday or later. 

Lena takes the aspirin and drinks the entire glass of water, changes clothes, then picks at the bagel as she finishes the coffee. She's feeling marginally better and tidies up to prepare for the day. She isn't sure what meetings, if any, are left, but there's always work to be done. 

Jess must have heard her shuffling around because a few minutes later, she knocks and enters the room when Lena calls. “Good morning,” she says, her voice gentle but with no signs of pity.

Lena is grateful. “Good morning. Thank you for breakfast. How did you know?”

“Martin texted me when he drove you Saturday morning but neither he nor David had taken you home when I asked last night.” 

Jess acts as though she receives regular updates when Lena comes into the office on weekends and Lena realizes she just might. Apparently her employees keep closer tabs on her than she knew, but the knowledge that they care fills her with warmth. 

“I've rescheduled your appointments,” Jess continues after a moment, “so as it stands, Wednesday and Friday are a little busy, but your calendar is clear for the rest of today and tomorrow.” She opens an app on her tablet. “Or would you like me to move everything to next week?”

“I appreciate the reprieve, Jess, but it isn't necessary.”

“I’ve also asked David to be here at six tonight.”

That gets a raised eyebrow. “Scheduling my ride home now, too?”

“Yes.” She sighs. “You need actual sleep, and real food, Lena. Vending machines or wherever you found those granola bars doesn't count and neither does a few hours on this couch.” Jess wonders if she's pushing it with still using her boss’ first name and it does feel a little awkward, maybe too familiar, but she keeps going. “I'm in charge of managing your schedule, remember? I'm managing it.”

Lena is quiet for a few moments, then leans forward, resting her elbows on her knees and putting her face in her hands. “You're right, I know,” she murmurs. “Let me get through today so I can leave at six and I’ll even take the day off tomorrow, since my agenda is apparently clear.”

“Very good. There is one other thing.” She clears her throat. “The most recent issue of Catco magazine arrived this morning.”

A flash of pain streaks across Lena’s face though she tries to school her features into nonchalance. Part of her wants to ignore it completely but she knows she can't. The article might give her insight into Kara’s feelings, her motive, and as much as it would hurt to have everything confirmed all over again, a piece of her hopes she’ll be proven wrong. 

“Leave it here, please.”

Jess nods, setting the copy on the coffee table. “You’ll let me know if I can do anything?” The question is soft and about more than just work. 

“Yes, of course. Thank you.”

Jess takes her leave a moment later and Lena stares at the magazine, taking a few deep breaths before she picks it up and thumbs through to find the pages with Kara’s article. 

There's no mention of her at all. 

The article reads as though the events happened to Kara directly and while there's a brief reference to the fact she wasn't alone in Arcadum, it is only the phrase _the reporter’s associate_.

Not exactly a ringing endorsement of friendship. 

No hint that anything the alien exposed was untrue. 

There are details about his motive, his background, but Lena feels her headache returning and she can't finish reading. 

She places the magazine face down and walks to her desk, opening her laptop and getting lost in work. 

*****

Winn pounces the moment Alex enters the DEO, hurrying to match her pace and walk beside her. “How's my favorite badass agent?” 

Alex glances at him out of the corner of her eye. “What do you want?”

“Can't a guy just say good morning?”

“Sure, but that wasn't a normal greeting, even for you. So I say again, what do you want, Winn?”

Winn bites his lip. “I might have done a thing.”

Alex stops and puts her hands on her hips, leaning forward. “What kind of thing?”

“A hacky thing?”

She rolls her eyes. “Who did you hack?”

“On a scale of one to ten, how mad do you think Kara would be if I hacked Lena?”

Alex pinches the bridge of her nose. “ _Why_ did you hack Lena?”

Winn licks his lips. “She didn't text me back.”

“Get to the _point_ , Winn.”

“Okay, so, I text her like once a week or so, you know? We talk about tech stuff and she answers all my dumb fanboy questions.” Alex nods that she understands. “And even if she's super busy, she replies in a few hours, a day at most.

“I didn't talk to her for like two weeks because I knew she was doing that thing for Kara’s article, but I texted her on Wednesday and she never got back to me.” His eyes dart to an area over Alex’s shoulder. “I just wanted to make sure she was okay. So I hacked into the video at L-Corp.”

Alex shakes her head. Despite the good intentions, she knows Kara won't like it. “And… what did you find?”

“She was asleep.”

She heaves a sigh. 

“No, wait, it's not just… she was sleeping on the couch at L-Corp. And when I checked the feed, she was there all weekend.” He meets Alex’s gaze. “I think something’s wrong.”

Alex silently agrees. 

“So, how mad will Kara be?”

“You'd better let me tell her.”

*****

Alex intends to talk to Kara that afternoon, but when a containment cell is breached a little before eleven, protocol dictates an emergency call to Supergirl. 

Kara flies into the DEO and speeds into the room where Gregory is being kept. 

“What happened?” she shouts, then blushes a deep red when three agents and the alien in question turn to stare at her, the outburst jarringly loud in the otherwise calm scene. “You said it was an emergency?”

Alex wipes her hands against her thighs and rises to her feet. She'd been kneeling, sweeping broken glass into a dustpan. “Automatic reaction when a holding cell breaks,” she says, “by the time I realized there was nothing wrong, I knew you were on your way.”

“Nothing wrong?” Kara gestures at the telepath sitting on the bench of his cell, neural disruptor on his head, the clear panel gone and a large hole in the main door. “He could have escaped!”

“Could have,” the man chimes in, “but didn't. And won't.”

Kara narrows her eyes and approaches him. “Why not?”

He blinks at her. “I told you before. It's quiet here.”

“You would rather stay here, in a cell, for the rest of your life?”

He's clearly already considered it, as he's nodding before she's finished her question. 

Kara sighs and looks to her sister. “What happened?”

Alex shakes her head. “Accidental discharge of an experimental weapon. Took out part of the door, destroyed the entire neural dampener, and shattered the pane in the cell.” She growls. “Trust me, the agent responsible is going to spend the next three weeks in very thorough remedial training.”

“Hm,” Kara agrees, examining the damage, focusing on the silent alien, sitting politely amid the wreckage. “So you put the disruptor on him just now?”

“Well, there was no reason to before, when the dampening field was active.” Alex gestures to a large trunk situated just outside the entrance to the room, which is visible thanks to the hole in the door. “It was only about thirty seconds or so before I grabbed the disruptor from the emergency case and got in here.”

Gregory winces. “It felt like longer. You have… a lot of humans in this building.”

“Mmhmm.” Alex dismisses him and wraps her arm around Kara’s shoulders. “Come on. We’re fine here but I want to talk to you before you go back to work.”

Kara follows her sister from the debris-strewn room to a quiet space down the hall, next to a storage closet. 

“So,” Alex begins, keeping her hand on Kara’s bicep so she doesn't fidget, “a little birdie told me you might want to check on Lena.”

The hero tenses immediately, eyes widening. “What's wrong?”

“Nothing life-threatening… but I have it on good authority that she spent the weekend at L-Corp.”

Kara shakes her head. “She works a lot, Alex.”

“Not just work. She slept there. All weekend.”

“What? How do you know that?”

“I told you, a little -”

“Would this bird go by the name Winn?” Alex drops her chin. “Rao, I _told_ him not to hack her!”

“He’s worried,” Alex says, adding quietly, “we all are.”

Kara frowns. “Who is we?”

“Maggie, Winn, me… even James.”

The list of names gives Kara pause. “Really?” She considers that, beginning to work out a plan to contact Lena, then, abruptly, her shoulders droop. “She isn't talking to me, though. It doesn't matter what you guys are thinking.”

Alex squeezes her arm. _You two were inseparable. I don't know what happened but you guys just need to **talk**._ “I know you think she's mad at you, and even though you won't tell me why, you can still just go check on her, right? Stop by L-Corp as if you're on a story.”

Kara hesitates. “I don't know, Alex…”

“Don't bring up whatever the touchy subject is,” the redhead insists. “She’ll understand that we’re worried. What's the worst that can happen? Maybe she's busy and can't see you, or maybe she's cordial and stand-offish, but at least you’ll know she's okay.”

“Yeah… maybe you're right. She can't get mad at me just for saying hi.”

Alex grins, encouraging, “There you go.”

*****

Kara bounces her leg as she leans against the rear of the elevator, wincing in apology and stilling the movement when two of the other passengers glare at her. She taps her fingers against her thumbs, finding patterns in the repetitions, conscious not to let her nervous energy travel down to her legs again.

She scurries out of the elevator when it stops at Lena’s floor. When the doors slide closed behind her, she raises her shoulders a few times, taking a deep breath, letting it out slowly. 

_Just say hi, check in on her. She can’t be mad at me for that, right? Right._

A little more sure of herself, Kara nods decisively and lifts her chin. She rounds the corner to the foyer and is glad to see the chairs across from Jess’ desk are empty. If Lena doesn’t have anyone waiting for an appointment, maybe she won’t feel rushed and Kara will be able to explain, to answer questions, they’ll have a chance to really talk. 

The corner of her mouth begins to pull into a smile as she approaches the secretary. 

“Hey, is -”

“I'm sorry, Ms. Danvers, you need to leave.” Jess meets her gaze evenly, no hint of sympathy in her eyes. 

Kara stares.

Jess stands from her desk as though she expects to have to physically stop Kara from entering the office. 

“Can I, can I make an appointment?” she asks, voice wavering, grasping at anything that will let her talk to Lena.

“Ms. Luthor has specifically stated that she does not wish to see you.”

Kara blinks back sudden tears. She feels slightly short of breath at the words, at the sharp pain that crashes into her chest. “Jess.”

“Please go,” Jess says, and Kara thinks maybe her voice gentles a little, “I don't want to have to call security, but Ms. Luthor was very clear on this point.”

Kara turns slowly and walks toward the elevators, head hanging down, hands in her pockets. 

She briefly considers coming back through the balcony, but ultimately pushes the thought away; she’s not going to force Lena to see her when the woman has made her position clear. 

Kara takes the long way back to her apartment and collapses face down on her bed.

She ignores the texts from her sister.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The angst is not totally resolved next chapter, but the upswing is visible.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Communication begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It gets a little rough before it gets better, but there's hope at the end of this chapter.
> 
> Also, you might have noticed I increased the projected chapter count. Fourteen it is!
> 
> You all are amazing <3

Alex drums her fingers against the handle of the shopping cart, eyeing the ice cream in the freezer. A case of strawberries and tiramisu have already found their way into the cart but that french vanilla is slow-churned and it’s calling her name. 

_A Thursday night is a good enough reason to splurge,_ she decides. 

Her phone vibrates in her pocket. She smiles at the name and photo that appear on the screen. 

“Hey, Sawyer. Miss me already?”

“Danvers,” Maggie is whispering and Alex shifts her weight, “you need to get home.”

“What’s wrong?” She pushes her cart to the side and begins to head to the exit. 

“Kara showed up.”

Alex stops. “How is she?” 

“Not good. She walked in and went directly to the couch and curled up. All she’s been doing is going through photos on her phone. Crying.” Maggie sighs and it crackles across the line. “I’ve already ordered pizza but she didn’t give me any input on what kind she wanted.”

She heads back to the ice cream aisle. “I’ll be there soon.”

*****

The pizza is delivered a few minutes before Alex puts her key in the lock, so when she pushes the door open, she finds Maggie sitting beside Kara on the couch, a box of pizza on the coffee table. Maggie says something quiet that Alex doesn’t catch, then takes a bite of the slice on her plate, but Kara just shrugs her shoulders. 

Maggie looks up and relief floods her face when she sees Alex is home. “Be right back,” she tells Kara and gets up to meet her fiancée at the door. 

“She hasn’t eaten anything,” she reports worriedly. Her fingers tug at her bottom lip. “I got one with everything and two cheese and a pepperoni.”

“That’s good,” Alex assures her, kissing the corner of her mouth. “I picked up some ice cream and crullers.” She puts the rocky road in the freezer and carries the box of donuts to the living room. 

“Hey, you.” Alex sits beside her sister and opens the lid on the pink box. “Cruller?”

Kara shakes her head and doesn’t look up from her phone. “You have them.”

A deep frown settles across Alex’s brow. “Do you want a different kind of pizza?” she asks, seeing the untouched slices of cheese and pepperoni on a paper plate.

“No, it’s fine.”

Alex puts the donuts on the table. She rests both hands on Kara’s knee. “When was the last time you ate?”

Kara shrugs.

“What’s going on?”

When Kara gives no response, Alex gently reaches out and takes her phone. 

“Hey!” 

Alex gets a glance of a photo of Kara and Lena before the blonde snatches the phone back and presses it to her chest. She squeezes the trembling shoulder. “I can’t help if you don’t tell me what’s wrong.”

“She hates me,” comes the response, in a wobbling tone. 

“I doubt that.”

Kara wipes at her eyes. “She won’t talk to me. She won’t answer my texts or my calls. I tried to go see her three days ago but Jess wouldn’t even let me in.” Alex frowns at the knowledge that her suggestion had seemingly backfired and Kara hadn't told her. “How can I explain if she won’t talk to me?”

“What do you have to explain?” 

A heavy sigh. “Everything.”

Alex puts a hand on her cheek. “What happened?”

Kara finally gives in and curls up against her sister. Alex wraps her arms around her in a fierce hug, holding her close. “I fell in love.”

*****

“Agent Danvers from the FBI is here,” Jess announces quietly on Friday, a little past three. 

Lena frowns, puzzled, but instructs Jess to show her in. Lena stands when she enters, greeting her with, “Good afternoon. I'm afraid I don't have any additional information to provide about the events in Arcadum.”

Alex shakes her head and sits in the chair across from Lena’s desk. “I'm not here as an FBI agent, I'm here as a big sister.”

Lena’s frown deepens in annoyance as she retakes her seat and Alex continues speaking.

“I don't know exactly what happened, but -”

“Then you have no reason to comment.”

“Hey,” Alex’s voice is sharp, “my _sister_ is miserable and I intend to find out why.”

Her mouth in a firm line, Lena states, “Kara brought this entirely upon herself. Though I suppose you were also in on the lies.”

Alex blinks. “Lies?” she drawls, considering the NDAs she’ll need to request. 

“She’s been lying to me from the beginning.”

“How do you know that?”

Lena clenches her jaw and glances away. “The telepath.” She fails to hide her shudder. “I heard his voice in my head, telling me Kara… is an alien.”

Alex lets out a breath. “I can see where that's a shock,” she allows, “but you should really talk to her.”

Green eyes meet Alex’s gaze and she almost flinches at the anger. “I was also informed of Kara’s true feelings for me,” in a voice that's nearly a snarl, “so _no_ , I have no desire to speak to her.”

Long seconds pass as Alex lets the response sink in.

Alex shifts her shoulders in agitation and gets to her feet. “I had doubts about you from the start,” she states evenly, “and I was sure you were just biding your time until you hurt Kara. But then I had to admit that she was right about you, that you were more than your family name, that you only wanted to help… that you were her friend.” 

Alex places her palms flat on the desk but the movement is soft, not the slam that Lena expects. “I understand that being lied to hurts, but I wouldn't have guessed this reaction from you, Lena. You need to decide what your friendship with Kara is worth and if you can get over yourself enough to try to salvage it.”

Both hands form fists, knuckles firm against the desk. “And if you can't, then you need to _fucking_ tell her that, because she is suffering right now and I will _not_ allow that to continue just so you can hide from a difficult conversation.”

Alex turns and walks out, closing the door a little harder than necessary, but when Jess pokes her head in to check on Lena, she is immediately waved away. 

Lena bites her lip. 

She understands the role of protective big sister. 

She understands Alex’s confusion with the fallout from Arcadum, not knowing all the details.

She doesn’t understand Alex’s final words. 

How could she salvage a friendship with Kara if the young woman had never truly been a friend in the first place?

Perhaps Kara was frustrated by losing her leverage into the Luthor family, but Alex said she was suffering… that didn't add up. 

Lena glances at her phone.

She knows that she has no less than seventeen text messages and six voicemails from Kara. 

She hasn't responded to any of them and there was a period where she debated actually blocking the woman and deleting her contact. (That had been in the eight hours immediately after Maggie brought her home and she’d simply been unable to follow through; the smiling blonde in the contact photo broke her heart.) 

Her hand moves a few inches toward the phone but she hesitates. She wants to think over everything before she makes a decision. 

*****

That night, after a glass of wine and an hour of staring at the text messages on her phone, Lena responds to the text Kara sent four days earlier. 

_We should talk._

Kara sees the message right away and the bubbles indicate she tries typing an answer for several minutes before deciding on one to send. 

_When? Where? I’ll be there._

Before she can lose her nerve, Lena replies, _My apartment, tonight._

Again, Kara reads the message the moment Lena sends it, but this time there's no indication she's crafting a reply and Lena wonders if she has plans. She should have given her a little warning maybe, or set it up for a neutral location, and she realizes the scenario is less than optimal, but it's done. 

Ten minutes later, when Lena is sure Kara is going to decline or have an excuse to postpone their meeting, a soft knock sounds at her door. 

Lena is startled to see Kara through the peephole. Then she remembers the woman _is an alien_ so traveling inhumanly fast probably isn’t a stretch. She feels her stomach turn at the reminder of being lied to but opens the door. 

“Hi,” Kara says, standing with a more pronounced slouch than Lena has seen before. 

“Come in.”

Kara slips inside the apartment, still moving slowly and quietly, as if afraid of spooking Lena. 

Lena gestures to the living room. “Let’s sit,” she offers.

The blonde sits obediently on the sofa, giving Lena plenty of room on the opposite end. She adjusts her glasses nervously. “I'm guessing you want to, ah, talk about what happened in Arcadum?”

“Not really.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“You're an alien.”

 _An alien? Not Superg… oh, Rao, she doesn’t know._ A ripple of unease passes over her face, but Kara nods. 

The heat of betrayal floods her veins and all the anger Lena had tried to rationalize away returns at once. "The alien detection device, why didn't it work on you?"

"I, um, I fried the wires."

"You destroyed the prototype."

"I know, I’m sorry, but I… I panicked. I couldn’t just allow myself to be outed."

Lena pauses at the phrase but shakes her head after a moment and continues, "You could have told me." _I thought you were my best friend._ “Was it because of who I am?” 

“No! It was never -” Kara halts, amends, “maybe before I met you. When Clark and I came in for the interview, when all I knew was your last name, yes, I was cautious.” She shakes her head. “I assumed you were anti-alien, like your brother, but when you said you wanted to make a name for yourself outside of your family, that you wanted to make L-Corp a force for good, I believed you. 

“When you first brought out the prototype I was afraid I'd misjudged you, but then we talked and I knew you were _good_. I believed in you. I trusted you. And I have ever since.”

Lena tilts her head, skeptical. “Really? You could have said something. Every day… for over a _year_ , Kara. Why didn't you tell me?”

"It's just..." Kara sighs and stares out the window. "You wanted to spend time with me because you liked Kara Danvers. Our friendship grounded me, gave me someone to go to who didn't know I wasn't from Earth, you didn't pressure me for anything or assume anything because of who I am. That's so... that was nice to have."

Green eyes narrow suspiciously. "Pressure you? Who are you, really, then?"

Kara turns to Lena and her gaze is so sad that Lena wants to ask her to stop. She's afraid of what Kara is going to say, afraid she already knows, that she will confirm a theory Lena has been denying for more than a year. 

Kara unbuttons her shirt and the crest of the House of El is obnoxiously prominent. 

Lena nods and her eyes harden. The only other hope she had of a true friend in National City shatters and she feels the jagged edges in her heart. "Of course. Not only were you lying to me as Kara but you were lying to me as Supergirl. Trying to approach me from two different directions to get what you needed from a Luthor, through whatever means necessary."

"No.” Kara refastens her shirt. “It was never like that." 

“The gala,” she sighs heavily. _How stupid was I? How much did you and Alex and everyone else laugh at that blunder?_ Lena snarls, "What about Thanksgiving? When you couldn't get what you needed for your fake article… what was it, women of power and the mothers who molded them?” Her laugh is bitter. “When one pretense failed, you came back as Supergirl, as if that gives you some sort of authority." 

Kara runs her hand through her hair. "I couldn't just blurt out as Kara Danvers that I knew anything about your mother's role in Cadmus," she sighs. "I was trying to protect you."

"Well, that stops now."

"Lena."

"You can get out. Take the balcony."

"Lena, please. I'm sorry I never told you who I was."

Lena stands, arms crossed tightly, and Kara can see the fingers of her left hand digging into her right arm. "That isn't the worst of it, but I’m not sure you even realize. I had to find out… of all the people, Kara, I…” Lena clenches her jaw and forces back tears. “You _used_ me.”

Kara’s face flushes and “What?” comes out as a whisper. 

“You… from the beginning, you _knew_. You came in as Kara Danvers, a reporter pretending to be my friend, then waltzed right back in as Supergirl when it suited your interests, when there was something you needed from me. I have,” Lena takes a breath, but it’s clear her anger is rising, “I have trusted you in ways that…” 

She shakes her head and changes focus. “No. I thought… you let me think that you were my friend, and that maybe Supergirl was my friend, too. Despite our family history, I thought we were making something good out of a Super and a Luthor.

“But I’ve never had a friendship with you and Supergirl. There’s just one. Everything…” Her voice catches and her head is pounding. “ _Everything_ that I have is through you, do you know that? You, Supergirl… in the past year I might even call Alex and Winn my friends, but Alex is _your_ sister and Winn is _your_ best friend. None of it means anything now. Everything I thought I was building here is gone.”

Kara stands now and holds up one hand. "What are you talking about?"

"I thought we were friends,” the words break but she wrestles control a moment later, “but I was wrong.”

"Lena, I have always been your friend and nothing will change that. Alex and Winn are -"

“Don’t lie to me. Not again.”

“I’m _not_!” Kara insists, with tears rolling down her cheeks. “You… we’re friends, Lena. I swear.” She tilts her head for a moment and then seems to deflate. “Damn it.” She scrubs her face with both hands and groans. “I’m sorry, I- I have to go, there’s…” she gestures and Lena can faintly hear the sirens from down below, somewhere far across the city, it seems. “I’m sorry. Can we, I mean, let me know, okay? I can come back.”

“I need time.”

“Okay. Yeah. You’ve got my number,” she says, and leaps from the balcony.

*****

Lena trades the wine for something stronger and curls up on the sofa, bottle on the coffee table, lowball glass held loosely in both hands. She draws the curtains after Kara’s departure, not wanting to see the superhero fly by or, worse, attempt to return, and dims a single light in the corner of the living room. 

She wants the darkness, for a while. 

She takes hold of the new information she gained tonight, that Kara Danvers and Supergirl are a single being, and begins to examine it from every angle. 

_The times I made a fool of myself,_ she groans, taking a drink. The invitation to the gala is still foremost in her mind, as well as Thanksgiving… _oh_. And the Daxamite invasion… “Did you know he was dating Kara Danvers?” she mocks, breaking the stillness. _Stupid._

_All the ridiculous lines that I fell for, so convinced that Kara was my friend, that she wouldn’t lie to me, and I… I cared too much for her to question it. No, it couldn’t be anything else, it was just Kara, being adorable._

She downs the rest of her drink in three swallows and grimaces, but fills up the glass again. 

“I was on the phone with Kara Danvers when you called,” she sneers, deciding to leave the cap off the bottle. 

As that phrase rolls around in her head, she remembers the circumstances surrounding it - her mother, presumably, hired hitmen to dispose of her when she discovered their location. She tried to fight back but they pushed her over the balcony and the only thing that kept her from dying that night was Supergirl. 

No… the only thing that kept her from dying that night was _Kara_. 

She’d been on the phone with Kara, so of course the woman knew she was in trouble, and had flown to the rescue. 

Lena takes a small sip as more memories edge their way to the front. 

Supergirl fighting to protect her and her guests at the gala. 

Supergirl rushing in between her and a ton of flying concrete, saving Lena’s life. 

Supergirl risking her life, literally, to rescue a kidnapped Lena, rushing into a warehouse to face off against the head of CADMUS and a man Supergirl knew was laden with Kryptonite. 

Supergirl being hurt trying to defend Lena, but still managing to save her life and get her out of danger before the warehouse exploded. 

What was it she’d said when she landed that night? 

“Kara Danvers believes in you,” Lena whispers. 

Supergirl finding a way onto an alien ship and rescuing Lena ( _and Mon-El, can’t forget the boyfriend, which she also didn’t tell you the truth about,_ her mind provides), even in the middle of an invasion that was impacting every citizen in National City. 

Supergirl issuing a challenge in some sort of duel against Rhea and doing her level best to save the city and, ultimately, the entire world, with the least amount of violence. 

Lena sighs. She stretches her legs out on the cushions and drags a blanket down from the back of the couch. 

She goes back over all of those events, replacing Supergirl with Kara. 

It’s a long night. 

She finishes the bottle. 

*****

It’s nearing three a.m. when it dawns on Lena. 

She’s not completely drunk but definitely further gone than she’s been in a long time, but something about the pleasant distance the alcohol creates between her brain and her heart makes things a little easier to pry into the light and consider. 

Lena realizes she didn’t so much lose a friend as gain a chance to know one better. To learn all of Kara. 

_Isn’t that what I’ve always wanted? The opportunity to really know her?_

She takes a sip from her glass, having changed to water about an hour earlier when the scotch ran out. 

Kara swore they were friends. 

While she can no longer say that Kara doesn’t lie, she can say she doesn’t lie _often_ , she feels confident about that, and Kara doesn’t lie without an important reason. 

Alex indicated she believed Kara was Lena’s friend. 

She remembers the fury in Alex’s gaze, the fierce protective streak that brought her to L-Corp. 

Alex wouldn’t have done that if Kara didn’t care. 

There would be no friendship to salvage, as Alex had put it. 

She wants it to be true, more than she’s ever wanted anything. She didn’t realize how much she’d come to depend on Kara’s presence in her life until it was gone. Even if reality never brings them together like they were in Arcadum, she needs her friend.

She needs Kara.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We’re getting there!
> 
> PS: Sorry this one is up so late, didn't get home from the double-header until past eleven! Don't worry, next chapter will still be up tonight, as usual. 
> 
> PPS: Fixed a missed italics in the previous chapter. Dang it.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Talking things out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The return of the fluff is in sight!
> 
> The text message style is a little different than I've done in other fics, let me know if it's unclear and I can adjust it.

“How’d it go?” Alex asks, when Kara floats in the window after stopping would-be thieves at the museum. 

“What are you doing here?”

“You were miserable for days the last time you tried to talk to Lena, I’m not going to let that happen again.”

She pauses before heading to her bedroom to change out of her suit. “What did you do?”

“Nothing.”

“Alex.”

“I might have paid a visit to L-Corp this afternoon.”

Kara groans. “Why?”

Alex crosses her arms. “You‘re hurting. So, did you guys talk?”

Kara speeds into pajamas and sinks into the couch, Alex settling beside her. “Sort of. She… Rao, she thought we weren’t even friends, but she… I told her I’m Supergirl. She’s… I hurt her, Alex.” She draws her knees up to her chest and sniffles. “I’ve seen her after attempts on her life from her own family, and I’ve never seen her look as hurt as she did tonight.”

Alex strokes her hair gently. “If she knows… Kara, there’s paperwork.”

“No,” Kara insists, slightly panicked, “Alex, you can’t, please. Just, give her time. She asked for space. I owe her that, please. She won’t tell anyone, you know that. Please, _please_ don’t hound her about the NDA right now.”

“Okay.” The agreement comes easily, protocol falling away at the broken pleas. “Okay, it can wait, but not forever. You’ll have to tell me when.”

Kara nods. “Yeah. Thank you.” She sighs and scoots closer, resting her head on Alex’s shoulder. “She said… she thinks I was just using her, like I was only ever a reporter or Supergirl, trying to see what I could get out of a Luthor.” Tears fall again but Alex brushes them away. “I should have told her sooner. Even if… she should have heard it from me first.”

“You were doing what you thought was right.”

“No. I was being a coward. I was afraid… of this. Afraid I would lose her.” Kara crumples. She turns her face into Alex’s shoulder and surrenders to the hug. “What if I've lost her for good? Alex, I can't… I need her.”

Alex runs her fingers through blonde hair and kisses the top of her head. “She said she wanted time, right? That's something. She didn't end all contact.” She closes her eyes and wishes she could make things better. “Give _yourself_ some time, too. Breathe a little, okay?”

“It hurts.”

“I know,” she says, “I'm sorry.”

*****

True to her word, Kara gives Lena the space she requested. 

There are no voicemails or text messages in the following four days. 

Alex doesn’t come by again, though Lena isn’t sure if that’s because Kara asked her not to or if she’s simply already said her piece. 

There’s a video clip the news has been replaying all day, of Supergirl’s battle with what appeared to be a living mountain, some hulking alien with strength to rival even the Girl of Steel. As Lena sees the loop for the third time, of Supergirl being slammed into the ground repeatedly, before pushing off for an uppercut that finally stuns her opponent, Lena reaches for her phone.

_Are you okay?_

_I’m fine?_

_I saw the news._

The next reply takes a little longer.

_Oh._   
_I’m okay, honest._   
_Thanks._

Lena takes a breath. 

_Can we talk again tonight?_

Immediately she receives:

_Yes. Your place?_

_If that’s okay._

_Of course. Text me whenever._

*****

Lena messages Kara at nearly seven-thirty. She’d meant to be home earlier but there was a never-ending stream of proposals that had to be finished before she could leave the office and although Jess pitched in where she could, it still took several hours. 

In exactly twenty minutes, which was how long Lena had requested to give her a chance to change clothes, Kara knocks softly. 

Lena opens the door and invites her in. 

The woman stills moves quietly, making no sudden movements, keeping her distance. 

Lena remembers the usual hugs and friendly touches that came easily and she knows Kara must be trying _so_ hard.

“You don’t look like you went three rounds with a gravel monster.”

Kara startles. _Is that a joke?_ “Oh,” she smiles a little, “I spent some time under the sunlamps. All better.”

“What’s a sunlamp?”

“It, um, it’s kind of like concentrated sunlight. It focuses the energy of the yellow sun to help boost my powers, usually the healing.”

“Krypton didn’t have a yellow sun, right?”

“Right, we had a red sun.” Kara bites her lip, wondering if this is nearing an uncomfortable topic for Lena, if she’s okay with hearing about Kara and her home planet, but then she remembers Lena’s been steering the conversation, so she just goes with it. “I didn’t… no one had powers on Krypton. It’s only here, under Earth’s yellow sun, that Superman and I have abilities.”

“Superman came here as a baby, didn’t he?”

Kara nods. 

“What about you? I read your interview.”

Kara rolls her eyes. “I was woefully unprepared for an interview with Cat Grant.” She smiles when Lena chuckles. “I was twelve-years-old when I was sent here to protect my cousin. My pod was supposed to follow his but when… when Krypton died, the shockwave knocked my pod off course and he arrived without me. Luckily, the family that found him took great care of him, because by the time I made it, he was all grown up.”

“... how long?” When Kara hesitates, Lena adds, “You don’t have to answer.”

“I’ll tell you anything you want to know,” she says quietly. _I owe you that much._ “It was twenty-four years.”

Lena’s eyes widen. “We should… let’s sit,” she offers, gesturing to the couch, and Kara nods. “Would you like something to drink?”

“I’m okay, thanks.”

Lena pours herself a glass of wine and then joins Kara on the sofa. There’s much more space between them than usual but the atmosphere isn’t quite as tense and Lena is thankful for that. “So you were thirty-six when you landed on Earth?”

“Oh, no, it isn’t… my pod got stuck in a part of space where time doesn’t pass. I was still twelve when the Danvers adopted me. At least… yeah, biologically. I mean, I didn’t age, but I still remember…” _The silence. The darkness._ “... waiting.”

“What happened when you landed?”

“Kal-El found me and brought me to the Danvers.” She shrugs and gives a grin, trying to lighten the mood. “I had to suffer through seventh-grade while trying to learn to control my powers.”

“Kal-El?”

“Superman.”

“Oh. Right. So that makes you…?”

“Kara Zor-El.” 

Lena shifts her wineglass to her left hand and holds out her right. Kara takes it gently. “Nice to meet you, Kara Zor-El.”

“Thank you.” Kara withdraws her hand after a moment. “I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you,” she sighs. “I should have... you deserved to hear it from me first.”

Lena dips her head in acknowledgment. “You said you liked that I only knew you as Kara Danvers.”

“Which makes it entirely selfish of me to not have told you.”

“It’s okay to be selfish sometimes.” Lena considers her next words. “I don’t want to pressure you, or treat you differently, now that I know.”

Kara shrugs. “It always happens.”

“Not this time,” Lena insists. “I realized… I realized that we’ve always been friends. Regardless of this secret, you’ve believed in me, you’ve stood up for me, you’ve stood _beside_ me, when there were a million reasons for you not to. Instead of feeling like you’ve been lying to me since the day we met,” Kara flinches but blinks owlishly when Lena reaches out to grab her hand, “I’m going to take this as an opportunity to know you better. Now that the secret’s out, we can talk more openly. Right?”

“Right,” Kara nods eagerly. “I still really want to be friends.”

Lena squeezes her hand. “We are. We’ll be okay.” She watches the tension drain from Kara’s posture and feels the gentle pressure as she tangles their fingers together. “There’s still one thing I don’t understand about what happened that night.”

“What is it?”

"He told me you were an alien and then he told me you weren’t my friend. Why would he lie about one thing but not the other?"

“Can you… tell me more about what happened?”

Lena swallows. “I heard him telling you that I thought you were human, then I had these images in my head, like memories of spending time with you, but you were… _different_. You’d be in shadows, like you were hiding, or you had these glowing eyes, which, that makes sense now, I guess.” She takes a sip of wine. “Then he said I thought you were my friend, and it was like reliving the time we’d spent in Arcadum, the, you know, how close we were, but just when he started to change that to something darker, Alex stopped him.”

Kara bites her lip. "... I think maybe you misinterpreted what he meant."

Lena raises an eyebrow. 

"Please, just, okay, I'm not going to lie anymore, okay? But this... this isn't how I planned to tell you." Kara takes a breath and begins to fidget, pulling her hand away from Lena’s, not wanting to force contact while the words find their way from her mouth. "I knew before we went to Arcadum, but those two weeks... I wasn't exactly pretending."

The look Lena levels at her clearly means "continue".

"I... wanted to be dating you. What I told people, when they asked about us? About what you mean to me and our relationship and…,” _that I love you,_ “I meant all of it. So that, he was right, kind of, that I wasn’t just your friend. He said he couldn’t read my mind, but maybe that close he got some sort of feeling, or he went off what the residents had communicated with him? I don’t know."

Lena is quiet for several moments, then: "How did you plan to tell me?"

Kara’s gaze falls to the floor and she gathers her courage, raising her head at last. "Um, when the whole Arcadum thing was done, I was going to ask you to dinner, you know, like as a thank you for putting up with me. Then after dinner, when I took you home, I was going to tell you. Everything. Who I am and how I feel."

"You were going to tell me?"

Kara nods. "I swear it. I didn't, I mean, I know it was professional for you, which is why it was so great that you helped me out, and tolerated me being all over you. I mean, more than usual,” she continues, beginning to ramble, “I know I'm kind of a tactile person, but you were -"

"It wasn't."

"Wasn't what?"

"Purely professional."

Kara blinks at that bit of unexpected news. "Oh. Really?"

"Really." Lena hesitates. "I enjoyed having the chance to spend that sort of time with you, to be close to you. It was... nice."

Kara smiles. "Yeah."

“What were you going to say?” When Kara frowns, Lena elaborates, “After dinner, when you were going to tell me everything.”

“Oh. Um.” She shifts so she’s facing Lena more directly. “Okay, so I’ve kind of been thinking about this for a while, I sort of have it, um, memorized, so, just… okay.” Kara nods to herself and finds the words she’s been going over in her mind for weeks. “I wanted to thank you for staying in Arcadum with me. I know it's difficult for you to get time away from L-Corp, and especially to do it for an article, for me, it… it means a lot. I really like spending time with you and getting to have you all to myself was kind of fantastic, I can’t… I have to admit that was a little selfish on my part.”

She swallows, licks her lips, and laughs a little. “You already know and I’m still nervous. Sorry.” 

Lena watches her intently. She feels her heart lurch at the realization of precisely how much thought Kara had given the conversation, how badly she’d wanted to explain, how sincere she is with every word.

“I’ve been selfish another way, and I… I’m sorry for that. I should have told you before, I wanted to tell you so many times, but I just… you mean so much to me, your friendship, having you in my life, and I’m scared.” Kara nods again and then reaches her hand to her face, removing her glasses. “I know you’ll be mad, and hurt, I think, and you, you have every right to be. I just don’t want to lose you.” She pulls her hair free from the ponytail and slips the hair tie around her wrist, lasting all of two seconds before she begins to fiddle with the elastic. “I’m Supergirl.”

Kara winces slightly and Lena fights the urge to take her hand. “That wasn’t bad.” She tries to think of how she’d react if that had been how she’d learned the truth. “Why tell me now?”

“Because I want you to know all of me.” She meets Lena’s gaze and forges on. “This isn’t new, none of this is new, wanting to tell you, but being with you lately, being around you, it’s… I can’t keep pushing away how I feel about you. I don’t want to. I really, _really_ like you, but before I asked you out, I wanted to tell you everything. If, in case you feel differently now that you know.” She bites her lip and shrugs. “That’s it, pretty much, I mean, that’s how I meant to tell you.”

“Knowing that you're Supergirl doesn't change how I feel.” Lena continues quietly, “I like you, too.”

Kara feels a heavy weight in her chest and yet at the same time feels lightheaded. “Can I…?” she asks, opening her arms, and Lena shifts closer to be enveloped in one of the warmest hugs she's ever received. Kara grips her tightly, face pressed into her neck, and Lena thinks she hears the blonde whimper softly. 

Lena embraces her fiercely in return, cradling the back of her head. Her heartbeat finds a smooth rhythm as she breathes in the closeness. 

“I missed you so much,” Kara whispers. “I'm so sorry you got hurt, I'm sorry I couldn't keep you safe.”

“What happened there isn't your fault,” Lena says, rubbing slow circles against her back when it's clear Kara has no plans to let her go just yet. “You had no way of knowing what we were going to find.”

“Still. I should have gotten you out of there sooner.”

Lena squeezes her briefly once more and then shifts back, gaining a few inches of space as Kara’s hands settle at her waist. “You did what you could. Did you… some of it is a little blurry, but did we… fly?”

Kara blushes. “It was the fastest way to get you away from the residents and to confront Gregory.” She gives Lena a sheepish look. “I'm sorry, I don't… I prefer to ask, but I just… I had to do something.”

“It's okay.” Lena reaches to the coffee table and takes a healthy swallow of wine. “I was curious how much of my memory was delirium.”

Kara's hand tightens against her hip. “You were in so much pain,” she remembers. 

“Hey,” Lena takes Kara’s hand in her own, “I'm okay.”

“I was really worried about you.”

“I know, I should have -”

“Everyone was worried.”

Lena frowns slightly. “ _Everyone?_ ”

Kara nods. “Alex, Winn, and Maggie.” When Lena is quiet, considering whether or not to believe it, Kara insists, “Maggie and Winn both talked to Alex, who talked to me, and wanted to check on you. That's, that's kind of why I showed up on Monday. I wasn't trying to push you, honest, but I thought -”

Green eyes narrow. “You did what?”

“Um. I tried to come see you.” Kara shrugs with one shoulder. “Jess wouldn't let me in.”

“Oh. She didn't tell me that.” _Jess probably would have gone up against my own mother if it meant preserving the chance that I would get home at a decent hour._ “She… not the why, but she knew I was upset.”

“She's protective. I'm glad she stands up for you, even when it's against me,” she says quietly. 

Lena shakes her head. “Enough.”

“What?”

“Stop beating yourself up.” She swallows, gathers her courage, and raises her hand to Kara’s cheek, resting there. Her heart skips two beats when Kara immediately leans into her palm. “We’ll be okay.”

Kara sighs, her breath tickling the soft skin of Lena’s wrist. “That's all I need,” she presses against Lena’s hand, feeling a thumb at the corner of her mouth and it takes all of her willpower not to simply turn and place a kiss there. “I can't, Lena, I can't lose you.”

“You won't.” The promise comes easily. There's no anxiety after the words, no _what have I done_ , no _don't promise something you can't keep_ , just a clear and honest truth that settles in her bones. 

Lena notices that her thumb has, quite by its own accord, begun tracing the swell of Kara’s bottom lip and she pulls her hand away, the blonde chasing her movement before seeming to catch herself. 

“Um.” Kara clears her throat and blinks several times. “It's… it's pretty late. I should probably get going.”

_Stay._ “Stay.” _Well, that was out loud. Okay, then._

“Really?”

Lena takes a deep breath. She reminds herself that this is Kara, she’s still her friend, still the one Lena can trust to see her weaknesses. “I haven't… I haven't slept well since Arcadum.” 

“Oh.” Kara swallows. “Me neither. I think, well, I think I missed sleeping with you.” She blushes to the tips of her ears. 

“I know what you mean,” Lena says, feeling her own face grow warm. “Your pajamas are still here from the last time you slept over. If you want.”

“Yeah, that would be great.” She jumps a little as her phone vibrates in her pocket. She stands and pulls it free, but it continues to buzz, incessant with notifications. “Oh, it's Alex.” _And I'm pretty sure she's thirty seconds away from storming in here._ “Let me text her back real quick.”

_I'm fine, Alex. I'm staying over._

_You're what?_   
_Why?_   
_Did she upset you again?_   
_I can be there in three minutes._   
_Five if you need a squad of agents._

Kara rolls her eyes. _I don't need backup. We talked. We’re still talking._ She glances at Lena, who has her face turned away to give Kara privacy as she chats with her sister. _We’re going to be okay._

The text bubbles stop for a moment as Alex deletes whatever barrage of badass-federal-agent-big-sister support she was going to offer next. 

_Really?_

_Yeah. I really think so._

_I'm very glad to hear that._   
_WHY DIDN’T YOU TEXT ME EARLIER_

_She shakes her head fondly. Good night._

_Yeah, yeah. Good night._   
_Love you, even if you give me grey hairs._

_I love you, too._   
_Thanks for worrying about me._

_Maybe don't let me worry so long next time._

Kara grins. _I'll try. Night._ She clears her throat softly, replacing her phone in her front pocket. “Alex was just checking in.”

Lena nods but doesn't comment. 

“She really was worried about you before, you know.”

_Worried would not be the word I’d use._ “If you say so.”

Kara sighs gently, knowing it's going to take time for Lena to once more believe she belongs in the circle of friends. “I don't know about you, but I'm pretty tired.”

“Very,” Lena agrees, getting to her feet and taking her wine glass to the kitchen and rinsing it. She moves into the bedroom and returns a few moments later, offering Kara the sweatpants and t-shirt she'd worn months ago when a movie night ran long.

They complete their nightly preparations, each familiar with the other’s, and falling into that routine helps settle some of the nerves. Lena goes first and when she's finished, she finds that Kara filled a glass of water for her and placed it by her bedside. 

The considerate gesture brings unexpected tears to her eyes. It's an overreaction when compared to the simple task, but it reminds her that Kara is indeed the same Kara she knew, the same sunny, helpful, caring, beautiful person she fell in love with. She also happens to be Supergirl, but that's in addition to the other wonderful qualities, her sense of humor and her kind heart, there is no trade-off simply because superhero is now part of the list. 

As Kara brushes her teeth with a spare toothbrush, Lena climbs into bed, plugging her phone in to charge. She turns off the lights, leaving a strip of light shining from underneath the bathroom door, which disappears when Kara switches it off, and muted moonlight through the curtains. 

Kara joins Lena under the covers but she isn't sure what, if any, physical contact Lena wants as she falls asleep. _Should I just take her hand? Rest my hand on her arm? Or does she want me to hold her? Is any of that too much given what all we’ve discussed this week?_ Kara licks her lips. _What do I do?_

Before Kara can ask, Lena takes a chance, holding her breath as she rolls onto her side, pillowing her head against the strong shoulder. 

“Is this okay?” come the words, on an exhale. 

Kara smiles at the feeling of Lena in her arms once more. Having Lena this close is a relief, she realizes, when she thought she might never see her friend again. “Yeah,” she kisses the top of Lena’s head, “this is perfect.”

Lena agrees, closing her eyes and allowing the familiar sound of Kara’s heartbeat to calm her own. _We still have more to talk about,_ she acknowledges, _but right now, this is definitely perfect._

Comfortable silence follows and Kara wonders if Lena is falling asleep already, hoping they'll both be able to rest better now, and then Lena groans, turning her face into Kara’s shoulder.

“What is it?”

“I asked if you and Supergirl were dating,” she says, muffled against Kara’s t-shirt.

The blonde chuckles gently. “Ah, yeah. I wanted… I almost came right back inside and told you the truth. I just didn't want to tell you while we were in Arcadum.”

Lena lifts her head slightly. “Why not?”

“I didn't want you to feel that you couldn't leave.”

Lena sighs and rests her head on Kara’s shoulder again. “I'm not going anywhere,” she says, and smiles when Kara squeezes her gently. She raises her head again after a moment. “Wait, how was Supergirl on the news that night, if you were right beside me?”

Kara bites her lip. “I have a friend that can shapeshift. He helps out when I need to be in two places at once.”

Lena frowns. “Has he ever… been you, around me? When I thought it was really you?”

“No,” Kara assures her, “it's always been me.” She rubs Lena’s arm gently. “And I don't think it will be necessary, now that you know. Um, speaking of which, there are some papers to sign… about that.”

“Do I have to sign them now?”

“No, just sometime soon.”

“Okay.” Lena snuggles close again. “Bring them by on Thursday, can you? I'll set aside time for it.” She takes a deep breath. She'd never admit that she refrained from washing the pajama shirt for a few weeks until it no longer smelled like Kara, but now, it’s worn by the woman herself and Lena can't help but smile a little when the scent reaches her nose. 

_Maybe it's a Kryptonian thing?_ Whatever it is, Lena likes it, a lot, and she drifts off to sleep with the woman solid and warm beside her. 

*****

The next morning, Lena is certain she's only waking in a dream. She’ll go through her morning and then wake up for real around “lunch” and have to do it all over again. 

Though it might be worth it, she admits. It’s been a while since she’s had a nice cuddling-with-Kara dream and she’d like it to last as long as possible.

“Hey,” Kara says quietly, kissing her temple, hand light against Lena's hip, “I have to get going.”

Lena blinks. Kara never has to leave first in her dreams. “What?”

“It's almost seven,” she explains, “I need to stop at my apartment to change and then I have to head to Catco.”

“Stop by for lunch?” Lena asks, before she's awake enough to second-guess the request. 

Kara’s grin rivals the morning sun and she kisses the spot again. “I'd love to.” She changes into her clothes from the day before and then she's gone, one last kiss ghosting against Lena’s cheek. 

Lena sighs. She knows she should be getting up soon, but the sheets beside her are still warm. She rolls over and sleeps for another twenty minutes, arms wrapped around Kara’s pillow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There might be a few days between chapters 12 - 14, but we'll be wrapping up soon. <3


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Communication is the key.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is already the most-viewed fic I've ever done?? Your comments are making me so ridiculously happy, omg. Thank you all, so much.

“Good morning, Ms. Luthor.” Jess stands when Lena enters the foyer. “Your meeting with advertising starts in a half hour, but then you're free until ten.”

“What else is on the schedule today?” she asks, entering her office, and Jess trails behind her, tapping on her tablet as she pulls up the applications. Jess echoes a few additional appointments and Lena decides eleven-thirty will be the best time for Kara to stop by for lunch. That will give them almost an hour until Lena’s conference call.

“Is there anything you need me to change?”

“No, that's all fine.” Lena hesitates but ultimately decides not to tell Jess about her lunch plans. She's not entirely sure if Kara will be dropping in as Kara or as Supergirl and the last thing she wants to do is muddy the waters of her trustworthiness in her first few days of knowing the truth. “Show Mr. Hamid and Ms. Drake in whenever they arrive,” she requests, pulling up the agenda for the meeting. 

“Of course.” Jess shuts the door quietly as she leaves. 

*****

At eleven-fifteen, Jess gets in on the food run being offered by the guys in the mailroom. They're going to a Mexican restaurant a few blocks over. It's become a favorite for many in the L-Corp building, even Lena herself occasionally, though she politely declined this time. 

A few minutes later, Jess hears the elevator doors open and withdraws a few bills from her purse to cover her portion of the order. She knows it will either be Matt or Dominic coming up - everyone else from the mailroom has blatantly admitted to being scared of her. 

Matt grins when he rounds the corner, sheet of paper clutched in his hand, orders scribbled on both sides. “Yours is fourteen even,” he says, and he might blush a little when Jess gives him a twenty and tells him to keep the change. “Be back in like an hour? Traffic looks like hell.”

“That's fine,” Jess pulls a granola bar from the bottom drawer of her desk, “I'll survive.”

“‘Kay. Bye.” The elevator doors ding again as he rounds the corner and, whoever steps out, he greets them warmly and continues on his way. 

Jess raises an eyebrow. Lena doesn't have anyone scheduled for the next hour and ten minutes. She prepares a firm tone, if necessary, to explain to the visitor that they’ll have to wait. 

Kara walks up, gripping a bag of Chinese takeout. She smiles when she sees Jess, a bounce in her step.

Jess stands, placing her hands on the desk and leaning forward to whisper angrily, “What are you doing here?”

Kara falters. “I brought lunch?” 

“Lower your voice,” Jess growls. Lena never knew the woman had stopped by the week before and she's seemed a little better lately. Jess isn't about to let that progress be ruined by another attempted surprise visit. “You need to leave.”

“Jess, I -”

“Now.”

“Hold on a minute,” Kara pleads, setting the takeout on the floor so she can gesture with both hands. “It's okay. Lena knows I'm here.”

“Not yet she doesn't, and I'll take you down to security myself before I let that happen.”

“No, Jess, we… we talked.” Kara matches Jess’ pose, hands braced on the desk. “She asked me to come by today. I promise.”

“I don't believe you.”

Kara gestures helplessly. “I know you're worried, thank you for protecting her, but I swear,” she insists, “Lena asked me here.”

Jess looks her up and down, calculating the odds of Kara being sincere. She's never known the reporter to lie, but then, she'd never seen her boss in such a state, and that's including after multiple attempts on her life, so she's going to be extra careful. 

The takeout is helping her story, at least a little. One thing she learned early on is that Kara doesn't joke about food. 

Kara glances at her watch. It's almost eleven-thirty; she's going to be late. The last thing she wants is for Lena to think she's decided against coming. “Message her,” she asks, “tell her I'm here.”

Jess hesitates. _This could set everything back._ “I don't think I -”

Desperate, Kara says, “Jess, I love her. I know she was hurting before but we’re talking and trying to work through it.” She meets the secretary’s gaze. “Please. She asked me to be here for lunch today, I don't want her to think I forgot.”

“I know you didn't forget,” Lena says, and both women jump at her voice. She'd heard talking outside her door for the past several minutes and got up to investigate, ultimately opening the door a few inches, then nearly fully open, but the two were so intent on getting through to the other that neither noticed.

“Ms. Luthor, I apolog -”

Lena cuts her off, “It's okay, Jess.”

Jess nods once. She glances at Kara. “Ms. Danvers.” 

There's no forthcoming apology but Kara isn't expecting one. 

“Jess,” Kara replies softly, picking up the bag of takeout and entering Lena’s office. When Lena closes the door behind her, she slumps her shoulders and lets out a long exhale. “She hates me.”

“On my behalf, maybe.” Lena sits on the couch and motions for Kara to join her. “I’ll talk to her. Once she sees that isn't necessary, I'm sure she’ll come around.”

Kara sets out the containers for lunch and she’s three egg rolls into her meal when Lena speaks again. 

“Do you remember,” she begins, “dinner with Gary and Megan?”

“Of course.” Kara wipes her mouth with a napkin. “You're not going to ask me to eat stuffed bell peppers again, are you?”

“No,” Lena chuckles briefly, then swallows, “not that. Something you said to them, about us. You told Megan it was easy to be my friend…”

“Oh.” The words come back to her and Kara knows what Lena is asking. “And that it was ridiculously easy to fall in love with you.”

“Did you mean it?” she whispers, and then looks away, but barely one second passes before Kara’s hand is at her cheek, giving her courage. 

“Every word.” Kara offers a small nervous smile. “Everything I said about us, about you, how amazing and beautiful and intelligent you are, wanting to be with you all the time… I meant all of it.”

Lena blinks, waiting for Kara to take it back. When she doesn't, Lena sighs, grasping Kara’s wrist gently and keeping her hand in place. “I thought maybe I'd dreamt that part of our conversation last night.”

“No, that was very real,” she replies, thumb stroking the soft skin. “I've felt that way for a while,” Kara continues, and Lena’s eyes dart to hers, “but I didn't realize just… just how _much_ I felt for you.”

“How long is a while?”

“Oh, um,” Kara adjusts her glasses with her free hand, “I guess since, well, do you remember before Christmas last year, when we exchanged gifts?”

“Of course.”

“I spent weeks trying to figure out what to get you,” she bites her lip, “and then it dawned on me why I was so focused on finding the perfect gift. I wanted to see you happy, because you’re my friend, but I _really_ wanted to be the one to make you happy.” She tangles Lena’s fingers with her own and drops their hands to the sofa, pressing against Lena’s knee. “And living with you, it was just… it hit me that I love you.”

“That’s what you told Jess,” Lena breathes. 

Kara nods. “I’m _in_ love with you, Lena.” Her heart is beating fast and Kara swallows, trying to get her nerves under control. “This isn’t… I’m not saying this to get you to say it back. I just don’t want anymore secrets between us.” She licks her lips. “Right?”

“That’s what we agreed.” Lena tugs Kara’s hand closer, nearly in her lap. “No more secrets.”

“Yeah,” Kara exhales, a small smile forming. She doesn’t seem to have upset Lena and that’s all she was hoping for out of the conversation. “Speaking of that dinner, um… you’ve been flirting with me?”

Lena lowers her head and blushes for a moment. “Guilty,” she looks up when Kara squeezes her hand, “even if you were oblivious.”

Kara laughs softly. “Yeah, I guess I was.” _I wish I’d have known, maybe we could have been here sooner,_ but as soon as the thought crosses her mind, she dismisses it. _We found this how and when we needed._ She brings Lena’s hand up and kisses her knuckles gently, releasing her grip so they can return to their meal. 

*****

Kara gathers the empty containers and wipes the coffee table clean when they finish eating. She’s wearing a grin even as she throws the napkin in the trash bin. 

Conversation had been pleasant, easy, and fun; just how it was before Arcadum, and that puts Kara at ease more than any direct discussion. 

“I read your article,” Lena says, as she puts the magazine back on the table. 

Kara blinks. “You did? What did you think?”

“It was… why didn’t you mention me?”

“We hadn’t talked about it,” Kara explains. “I didn’t know if you would want your name or L-Corp associated with a story about a dangerous alien.” 

“Oh.” Lena’s voice is quiet and she feels a small burn of embarrassment. “That’s considerate.”

Kara frowns. “What’s wrong?”

“I just, I thought…” She tries to wrap her arms around herself but Kara gets there first, gently holding her close. Lena leans her forehead against Kara’s shoulder, exhaling, “I thought it was confirmation that you weren’t my friend.”

“Oh, Lena, no,” Kara soothes, hugging her tighter. “I’m sorry I ever made you doubt that.”

Jess knocks twice and waits a few seconds before she opens the door, though Lena makes no attempt to move from Kara’s embrace and in fact clutches the back of her shirt when Kara begins to shift her weight; she knows Jess won’t allow entry to anyone else without announcing them first, and seeing them together might help Jess realize she can stand down.

“Ms. Luthor,” the secretary pokes her head in the office, “your next meeting begins in ten minutes.”

“Thank you, Jess.”

“I’ll let you get ready,” Kara says, when Jess has closed the door, and she kisses Lena’s temple gently. 

As she steps away, Lena speaks: “It wasn't you.”

Kara pauses and tilts her head, clearly not following Lena’s train of thought. 

“You didn't make me doubt your friendship,” she elaborates, “ _he_ did. When I, when I was in a place I could think it through, I realized how wrong I was.”

The reporter moves closer once more, cupping Lena’s face with both hands. “I'm still sorry you agonized about it at all.” She brushes her thumbs against soft skin. “Being your friend is one of the things in my life that I'm most proud of,” Kara smiles fondly, “and I will always cherish our friendship, no matter… no matter what else we might become.”

Lena nearly trembles with restraint, only just keeping herself from kissing the blonde fiercely. “Thank you,” she says in a whisper, resting her forehead against Kara’s, closing her eyes, and Kara’s arms instantly wrap around her and Lena just wants to spend the rest of the day standing in the middle of her office, being held by the woman she loves. 

Jess knocks again. 

Kara sighs, squeezing Lena gently, admitting, “I don't want to let you go,” and Lena’s smile turns a little watery as her own thoughts are echoed with sincerity. Kara kisses the tip of her nose. “Text me when you get home, okay? I mean, if you want.”

“I will,” Lena promises, before Kara can backpedal further. She opens her eyes to see Kara smiling brilliantly. “Thank you for lunch.” 

“Anytime.” Kara hesitates for another moment and Lena thinks they might end up kissing after all, and she imagines indulging in clearing her schedule and passing the entire day trading kisses, but then Kara simply smiles again and walks out of the office. 

***** 

Jess comes in a little before six to remind Lena it’s time to head home, but Lena was already beginning to pack up. 

“Oh, and Jess?” she says, as she places her tablet in her purse. 

“Yes?”

“Kara has access here again, whenever she'd like.” Jess visibly hesitates and Lena tilts her head. “What is it?”

“I know this isn’t work-related,” she begins, and Lena raises her chin, “and I don’t know everything that happened before, but I… I take it you two patched things up?”

“We’re working on it,” Lena allows, “but it’s… going well.” A smile slips through. “I know it strays far beyond your normal duties, but thank you for your support the past few weeks. It means a lot.”

Jess nods firmly. “I like Ms. Danvers, but you’re my boss. You’re also my friend,” she adds quietly, Lena’s warm glance telling her she made the right decision, “and I have your back.”

“Thank you.” Lena raises an eyebrow. “Now, go home. We don’t want Gus to get angry.”

Jess chuckles. “No, we don’t. Good night, Lena.”

*****

Alex arrives at three-thirty the next afternoon with a large stack of papers. Jess allows her in but she can sense the tension in the room; she remains in the office for a few long seconds, until Lena nods for her to go.

“Kara tells me you two talked,” Alex begins, taking a seat across from Lena’s desk once the door has closed. 

Lena prepares herself for a tough conversation. “We did.” 

“And you know, now, who she is.”

“Yes.” She’s answering directly but she’s careful not to clip her words. She doesn’t want to give away more than whatever Kara might have already told her sister about their relationship nor does she want to come across as angry. 

“What do you think of that?”

“I think it makes sense,” Lena says after a moment, with a fond smile. “Kara was already my hero.”

Alex raises an eyebrow. _Good answer._ “These papers need to be signed, for your protection and hers.” She taps her fingers against the tower of documents. “Standard procedure for anyone that knows.”

She appreciates Alex’s effort at reassurance. “I understand. Kara warned me there would be things to sign.”

Alex begins to slide the paperwork over but then pauses and makes a motion towards the ceiling. “Recording?”

Lena thumbs a button under her desk. “Not anymore.”

“Listen, I… I _like_ you, Lena,” Alex says, shifting closer in her chair, leaning her forearms against the desk. “That hasn't always been the case, as I'm sure you know, but you've come through every time we needed you. Every time Supergirl needed you. Every time my _sister_ needed you,” she amends, the significance clear. 

“When I walked in here last time, I knew she was in love with you.” Lena’s eyes widen. “I think I probably realized it before she did. So… when you told me that you knew Kara’s real feelings for you -”

“No, I didn't mean -” Lena hurries to clarify, stricken by the implication. 

She holds up a hand. “I know. But I didn't then. And I'm sorry for how I reacted. You were hurting, too.” Alex sighs and settles back into her seat. “What I'm trying to say is that Supergirl, my sister, will always come first. But you're my friend and that means something, too.”

The corner of Alex’s mouth turns up in a genuine smile and Lena visibly relaxes. “Thank you. I thought… I thought we were friends,” she wants to tell Alex how much that means, “or at least, on our way to getting there.”

“We’re there,” Alex confirms with a nod. She gestures to the ceiling once more and Lena enables the security cameras. “Let’s get these signed.”

Lena reads the documents as she signs them and it doesn't take long for her to recognize the common, repetitive paragraphs and skim over them, and before she knows it, it's just after five and the last paper is signed. 

“Thanks,” Alex says, shuffling the papers into order and putting them back in her briefcase. “I'm afraid I can't leave you with a copy.” She snaps the locks shut on her case and meets Lena’s gaze. “Want to go for a drink?” She frowns as soon as she says it, remember she’s only really seen Lena drink wine. “Do you like beer?”

Lena smirks, gets to her feet, and opens a bottom drawer in the cabinet against the wall. She pulls out a bottle of scotch and two glasses. 

“Bless you,” Alex whispers. 

Lena chuckles and returns to her desk, bottle in one hand and glasses in the other. She sets one down in front of Alex and pours two fingers in each.

“To friends,” Lena says, raising her glass. 

Alex knows it's too soon to correct her with _to family_ , so she echoes “to friends” and touches her glass to Lena’s before taking a healthy swallow of the amber liquid. “Holy shit. What is this? No, never mind, don't tell me. I can't afford it and it will only make me sad.”

“Well, it _is_ top-shelf,” Lena laughs. “But it's also my favorite so I almost always have some around.”

“Good to know.” Alex takes another sip, savoring the flavor as she cradles the glass in both hands. “So. How are you doing?”

Lena pauses, glass halfway to her lips. “I'm fine.”

Alex shakes her head. “I'm not prying, okay, but I did dozens of interviews that night, and you had a worse experience than any of the other residents.” She lifts her glass. “You gave me your statement, I know, but I still care about how you're doing.”

Lena’s eyes close for a moment and she leans back in her chair. _This is Kara’s sister,_ she tells herself, _but she's also a friend in her own right. She can hear the truth._ “Better, now that Kara and I are talking,” she says at last. “A lot of that misunderstanding was on my part, but it… believing that our friendship had never been real… that hurt.”

“Mmhmm,” Alex agrees quietly. 

“And she…” Lena flips the switch under her desk quickly before continuing. “I suspected, I think, but never anything concrete. When she told me she was Supergirl, I thought, of course, why wouldn't my brother’s choices come to haunt me again?” She finishes her drink and pours another, topping off Alex’s glass when the redhead nods. “Surely the friendship I thought was building between Supergirl and I was fake, and if it was, how could friendship, let alone anything _more_ , be real with Kara?”

Lena sighs heavily. “I was so angry… at myself, more than her. I've kept walls for years, ever since I became a Luthor, really, and they only strengthened when Lex’s obsession became newsworthy.” She chuckles mirthlessly and takes another drink. “Kara waltzed right past every safeguard I've ever built.”

Alex smirks. “Yeah, she has a way of doing that.”

“I blamed myself for getting too caught up to notice what was right under my nose,” she glances out the window, wondering what Kara is doing at the moment, “and for believing her without question. But I don't think I could have done anything else.”

“You love her.” 

Lena turns her head and meets Alex’s steady gaze. “Yes,” she replies quietly, “I do.”

Alex nods. She sets her glass on the desk and spins it slowly, watching the alcohol swirl and slosh against the sides. “When Kara first came to live with us, she was this scared twelve-year-old kid, only she had super powers. My parents devoted every waking moment to making sure she was comfortable, to helping her manage her abilities, to keeping her safe.” Alex blinks, looking up at Lena. “I resented her for it. Then they roped me into caring for her, watching over her at school. I resented _them_ for it and I thought I hated _her_ for taking my parents’ attention.”

Lena watches Alex carefully, knowing this isn't information she shares easily. 

Alex sighs, dropping her eyes to the floor. “My entire life has been spent maintaining her secret, making sure no one finds out, and keeping her out of trouble. That last one is nearly impossible,” she jokes, and Lena gives her a small smile, “but it wasn't until she came out as Supergirl that I realized Kara Danvers was an identity we had thrust upon her, for our safety and hers. She likes being a Danvers, I know, but it isn't who she is. She has to hide who she is from almost everyone.”

Alex exhales slowly. “She’ll always be Kara Danvers, my sister, but she's Kara Zor-El first, and there aren't very many people that get to know that.” She raises her head, meeting Lena’s dark green eyes. “I'm glad you're one of them.”

Lena swallows the lump in her throat. “I understand keeping her secret identity is paramount.”

“No,” Alex waves her hand, “I know you know that. That wasn't the point. Just, ultimately, lying about her identity has been what we taught her from day one, what we’ve all had to do every day. Don’t blame her for lying, even to you; keeping her friends and family safe is one of the most important things in the world to her. Well, in the universe, I should say.”

“I do know that,” Lena allows. “I understand why she lied, but that doesn't mean that not knowing after being in her life for more than a year doesn't hurt.” She raises one finger. “Secrets have so far led to my brother being driven mad by an obsession that landed him in prison,” her middle finger joins the index finger, “my mother leading a terrorist organization that has tried to kill my best friend on numerous occasions,” her ring finger comes up, “and myself being lured into allowing an alien invasion of our planet.” She takes a breath. “I don't like secrets.”

“I get that,” Alex nods, “absolutely. I promise no more secrets, to the best of my ability.” She clears her throat. “Starting now. You probably guessed by the lack of _FBI_ anywhere on the paperwork, but I work for a different organization - the DEO, the Department of Extranormal Operations. Our existence is _technically_ still classified,” she waggles her hand, “but we’re the agency that deals with metahumans and aliens, including Supergirl.”

Lena sighs quietly. “Thank you for telling me the truth.”

The redhead grins. “What are friends for?”

*****

Alex leaves at a little past seven, when Jess is not-so-subtly urging Lena to go home, but it’s another forty-five minutes before Lena makes it out of the office. 

Lena slips out of her shoes and texts Kara when she finally gets home at almost eight-thirty. 

There's a presence on her balcony not two minutes later. 

“That was fast,” Lena says, opening the glass doors. This is the first time she’s seen Supergirl in person since knowing the truth, the first time she’s texted her girlfriend and gotten a visit from the superhero in response, and she admits it’s a little jarring. It’s one thing to watch a clip on the news and understand the alien protecting the city is also the woman she’s dating, it’s another to have that same caped hero walking into her living room with her arms out. 

“I was in the neighborhood,” Kara grins, wrapping Lena in a warm hug. “I missed you.”

Lena hums softly, content. She slips her arms under the cape and returns the embrace. _There’s that familiar scent, that feeling of **belonging** ; yes, this is my Kara._ “I missed you, too. Alex stopped by, all the paperwork has been signed.”

“Good,” Kara sighs, “I'm glad that's over with.” She nuzzles the dark hair, then pulls back. “I can't stay long, I have a few more hours on patrol tonight.”

“Come by when you're done?” Lena asks, caressing the superhero’s cheek, running her fingers through the long blonde hair. 

“Of course.” Kara grasps Lena’s wrist gently, turning her head and kissing her palm twice. “It will probably be around midnight.”

“That's fine. Unless you -”

Kara smiles, interrupting gently, “I'll be here.”

“Okay. Good.” _Do it. Now. Worst case, she doesn’t like it, and she has to go anyway._ Raising to her tiptoes, Lena presses her lips against the corner of Kara’s mouth, keeping the kiss brief, but then she places a second in the same spot and Kara ducks her head to meet her. 

Lena’s hands grip at her waist, feeling the skirt bunch under her fingers. Kara cups one hand against Lena’s jaw, the other resting against her hip, and when Lena pulls away and then darts forward again, she licks at Kara’s lips. Kara's knees nearly buckle and she whimpers, drawing Lena to her for a fierce kiss. 

Lena responds with the same passion, tangling her fingers in Kara’s hair, feeling strong hands settle at her waist. One hand begins to slide upward and Lena encourages the movement, arching her back.

When her thumb traces the underside of Lena’s breast, Lena’s gasp breaks their kiss and Kara turns her attention to the exposed neck, kissing there softly.

“Kara,” Lena breathes, aching to move Kara’s hand higher but not wanting to rush her. 

“I have to go,” she whispers regretfully, the kisses against her neck slowing. 

Lena opens her eyes, having completely forgotten that Supergirl was needed. “I'm sorry, I shouldn't -”

“Don't,” Kara says immediately, stroking her side, “please don't apologize for that. I've wanted… I've been wanting to do that for a long time.”

“Yeah,” Lena agrees with a relieved sigh, “me, too.”

Kara kisses her once more. “I'll be back in a few hours.”

“Stay safe.” Lena waves and then Kara dives off the balcony, doing a few loops in the sky before she disappears from sight. Lena takes a slow breath, trying to calm her heart rate. 

When she's had a long shower and changed into comfortable sleep clothes, she dials Sam.

“You only call past ten when it's a girl problem,” her friend answers.

“Not a problem, exactly.”

Sam squeals as loud as she dares, knowing Ruby is sleeping in the next room. “Hell yes! You kissed her?”

Lena sinks into her sofa. “We kissed,” she confirms. “And I… I totally lost track of everything else.”

“Must have been quite a kiss,” Sam says, with a low whistle. 

“This is just infatuation,” Lena sighs. “It won't last.”

“Says who?”

“Logic.”

Sam laughs gently. “There's no logic in love.” She takes a moment to think of how to word this for her friend. “How long have you been working in engineering now?”

“You know how long.”

“Just humor me.”

Lena rolls her eyes. “More than six years.”

“And some parts of it have become simple and routine, right?”

“Of course.”

Sam hums. “Because you've been doing it for so long, it doesn't require much thought, right?”

“Right,” Lena sighs, not seeing the point. 

“But you still have moments of discovery, right? Times where you get that thrill, where you feel as amazed as you did at the start?”

“Sometimes,” she agrees. 

“Do you stop enjoying it when the work is routine?”

“Of course not.”

“Then why do you think your feelings for Kara will change when the newness wears off?” Sam pauses and rethinks the statement. “Ah, that's not it though, is it? You worry that _her_ feelings will change.”

Lena is quiet for a long minute. “Why wouldn't they?” She can’t explain the complicated Super-Luthor history and how it's relevant, but Sam knows about the Luthor family. “I've never had this before; I've dated, yes, but nothing like this. I'm going to screw it up.”

“I'm sure you will.”

Lena frowns. “You aren't supposed to agree with me,” she says.

“But you're right,” Sam says, and Lena can almost hear her shrug over the phone. “You're going to make mistakes. So will Kara. But you work through them together, you talk honestly, compromise if you can, find another way if you can't.” She sighs. “No relationship is easy - even Ruby and I have to work at it - but you deserve this, you deserve to be happy. Communication is important. No secrets, okay?”

“Yeah,” Lena smiles a little, “I can do that.”

“I know you can. Okay, you know I love you, but I have to get some sleep or I’m liable to commit murder tomorrow morning.”

Lena raises an eyebrow. “That bad? You should look for another job, Sam. Your resume can get you in anywhere.”

“I promised Ruby we'd stay put for this year of school,” Sam sighs, “and almost any new job would require us to move.”

“I'll let you get some sleep, then. Thanks for listening.”

“Anytime.”

“And remember,” Lena adds with a smile, “the coffee in prison is shit. Try to avoid homicide.”

Sam chuckles. “Good night, Lena.”

Lena ends the call and sees that Kara texted while she was on the phone. 

_I love you. *heart emoji*_

Lena rests her head against the back of the sofa. _Kara wants this too,_ she tells herself, _it isn't just me. Together. We can make this work, together._

She opens her messaging app and replies with a red heart.

*****

Lena wakes the next morning, stretching slowly. Her phone tells her it’s a little past five and she groans, flinging an arm out to the empty spot in the bed beside her. She drops her phone against her chest and rubs her hand over her face. 

_Apparently Supergirl had a late night._ She’d finally fallen asleep a little before one a.m. but there’d been no word from the hero. 

_This is probably going to happen a lot,_ she sighs. _There’s an entire city, a whole world, technically, that has to come first._ She kicks herself for feeling disappointed but its there all the same.

Lena pulls back the covers and swings her legs over the side of the bed. _Coffee first. Then we can stew over the realities of dating a superhero._

She walks down the hall and enters the kitchen, but stops short. 

The island in the kitchen has been completely taken over by dishes and vases. Three vases full of a variety of flowers - Lena identifies roses, lilies, and daffodils - with a single sunflower in each bouquet. Almost every breakfast food known to man, including many Lena knows she definitely did _not_ have the ingredients for in her cupboards, is set out on the countertop. She lifts the lids on covered plates and finds crepes and oatmeal and eggs and other hot foods, kept warm. 

A note next to a plate of french toast draws her attention. 

_Lena,_

_I came by, but it was late (or early, I guess?) and you were sleeping, so I didn’t want to bother you. I know you don’t get a lot of time for breakfast - choose whatever you want! I recommend the french toast, the chef in New York City is amazing._

_I hope you like the flowers._

_Love,_

_Kara_

Biting her lip, Lena smiles and folds the note closed, tapping her fingers against the paper.

After a night of watching over the city and dealing with who-knows-what, Kara kept her word and, when she found Lena asleep, took the time to prepare a lavish gift and make sure Lena knew she was thinking of her.

_Maybe it **is** more than just infatuation..._

She opens the silverware drawer and grabs a fork, sliding the plate of french toast within reach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't think we've ever (in canon) established what Lena's degrees are in? We know she worked on "curing cancer" with Jack Spheer, including "small explosions", and they'd apparently been working on the nanites at that time, so I went with engineering as a general field. If anyone has a more precise answer (biomechanical? robotics? physics???), let me know! I looked through scripts and wikis and couldn't find anything.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Honesty with friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can never have too much of the Superfriends, really.

Kara apologizes at least four times over text, both for not being able to return that night and for having to skip lunch the following day due to Snapper’s workload. It was going to take him a while to get over her refusal to name Lena in the piece, but Kara kept that close to the vest, only telling Lena that he was in a foul mood (always true) and keeping her very busy (almost always true). 

It’s Saturday evening before they have another chance to spend time together and Kara does a little shopping that afternoon, stocking her refrigerator with more fruits and vegetables than it had probably ever seen in its life. 

She makes a salad for Lena, the way she likes it, cutting the cherry tomatoes and cucumbers into appropriate sizes, setting out a bottle of the raspberry vinaigrette, the same brand Lena bought before. For the main dish, she makes chicken stir-fry with rice.

While the stir-fry is finishing up on the stove, Kara takes the fruit from the refrigerator and slices everything into small pieces for a fruit salad, adding a little lemon juice which the Internet told her would keep the apples and bananas from browning too quickly. She cores the remaining two apples and is cutting them into slices just as there’s a knock on the door. 

She bounces a few steps to the door and opens it with a smile. “Hi,” she steps back to allow Lena to enter the apartment, “I missed you.”

Lena smiles, reaching up to caress Kara’s cheek. “I missed you, too.” 

Kara pushes the door closed and slides her arms around Lena’s waist and Lena tilts her face upwards for a kiss, which Kara happily provides. 

Long minutes pass, until Lena shifts, asking, a little breathless, “Is something burning?”

Kara hurries to the stove. “Shoot, shoot, just simmering, oh _come on_ ,” she complains, turning the burner off and examining the contents of the pan. “The chicken might be a little dry,” she uses the spatula to stir it around, “but I think it’ll be okay.”

Lena chuckles softly and comes up behind Kara, placing a kiss on her shoulder. “Darling, you didn’t have to cook.” She peers at the stove and the nearby countertop. “Kara Danvers,” she gasps playfully, nudging her hip, “are you eating _apples_?”

“Hey,” Kara pretends to be offended, “I’m allowed to like new things, okay?”

Lena snakes an arm out and grabs an apple slice, holding it near Kara’s lips. 

Kara hesitates briefly, then takes the tiniest bite possible. 

Lena smirks. 

Kara relents and pulls a container of caramel out of the refrigerator, taking another slice and dipping it into the tub, and the fruit is heavily layered in caramel when she pops it into her mouth. She grins at Lena’s laughter. 

“That’s more like it.” Lena scratches Kara’s back and smiles when the woman wiggles her shoulders appreciatively. “You really didn’t have to do all this.”

“I wanted to,” Kara insists, turning and brushing her nose against Lena’s. “I figured we could have dinner and then maybe watch a movie?” She kisses her gently. “I miss just being able to hang out with you,” she admits, with another kiss. 

Lena melts. “Me, too.”

*****

The chicken is indeed a little dry, but Kara soaks her portion in enough soy sauce to cover the taste of carrots, broccoli, and bell peppers, so she doesn’t notice. Lena still enjoys the meal immensely, though Kara ( _of course_ ) doesn’t have either of the salads. 

“You made an awful lot of fruit salad if you aren’t going to have any.”

“Oh,” Kara wipes her mouth with a napkin, her plate clean, “no, that’s all yours. I figured you could take all the leftovers back with you. You know, like lunch for the week, if you want.” She gestures to the cabinets next to the sink. “I made sure I have enough tupperware to fit everything.”

Lena gazes at her fondly. _She’s so sweet._ “Thank you.”

Kara shrugs one shoulder, blushing a little. 

They’re sitting close enough at the kitchen island that Lena can lean over and kiss Kara’s cheek, so she does, and Kara’s blush deepens. “I love you,” Lena whispers. 

The blonde nearly falls out of her seat. Instead, she finds her feet and scoops Lena off her stool, holding her bridal-style. “I love you, too.” She spins her around, careful not to go too fast, but Lena clings to her anyway. 

Lena laughs and keeps a grip around Kara’s shoulders. “I have to admit, darling, I prefer staying on the ground.”

Kara blinks. “Oh.” She didn’t even realize she’d begun to float. “Sorry.” She lowers them back to the floor and sets Lena carefully on her feet. 

“That’s okay.” Lena drapes her arms around Kara’s neck. “I know you wanted to watch a movie, but maybe, we could just stay like this for a little while?”

“Yeah, absolutely,” Kara agrees, kissing Lena’s ear, “the movie can wait.”

Standing in the kitchen trading slow kisses always wins.

*****

Lena falls asleep twenty minutes into the movie. She’s snuggled against Kara’s left side and Kara smiles into her hair, kissing the top of her head gently before picking Lena up into her arms and carrying her to bed. 

Lena stirs when Kara removes her shoes and pulls the sheets over her legs. “No, I fell asleep,” she whines softly, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” Kara says, kissing her forehead. Lena tugs at her hand. “Yep, let me change real quick, I’ll be right back.” She uses her speed to clean the living room and change into her pajamas, climbing in bed beside Lena three seconds later. “See?”

Lena immediately claims her shoulder and curls into her girlfriend. “Mmhmm,” she sighs, “better.”

Kara pulls her close. “Yeah,” the blonde agrees, content to have the woman she loves in her arms. She stays awake for a while longer, listening idly to the sounds of her city, then focuses on Lena’s heartbeat as the woman drifts off once more, and Kara falls into a peaceful sleep.

*****

Monday afternoon, Kara leaves Catco for the day and Supergirl lands at the DEO. She finds J’onn in his office, but raises both eyebrows when Alex and Winn are also there.

“You wanted to see me?” she asks the director. 

“We’ve been discussing the appropriate sentence for Mr. Velan,” J’onn explains, holding up his hand when Kara opens her mouth. “It isn’t final yet. Hear us out, and we’ll get your take.”

Kara purses her lips but nods. 

J’onn gestures to Alex, who flips through the report in her hand. 

“Given the choice, Velan has stated that he would rather stay in a cell here at the DEO,” Alex says. “As long as the neural dampener is active, he has his own thoughts and no one else’s in his head. One similar option would be to release him with a neural disruptor and the necessary charger.” 

Kara’s nostrils flare, but she keeps her mouth shut. 

“Mr. Schott?”

“Uh,” Winn is uncomfortable with the daggers Kara is staring through them all, but he carries on. “We’ve tried to essentially reverse the effects of the enzyme to see if we can remove all or most of his telepathic abilities, but based on the scans we took, that isn’t going to get us anywhere.” He clears his throat. “I also thought about an implant that might counteract his powers, but again, simulations didn’t yield anything useful.”

Kara waits for J’onn to speak. 

The man sighs. “I’ve connected with him, psychically, but there’s no path in his mind that I can block to cut off his abilities. He also seems to have no malicious intent,” he tells Kara gently, “no desire to extend his reach or harm anyone else.”

“Beyond the people he already hurt?” She slams her hand against the table, breaking a corner off. “How are you even _considering_ letting him _go_? He mind-controlled a hundred people and invaded Lena’s mind!”

“He doesn’t have the strength to mind-control one human, let alone one hundred,” Alex speaks up, after a silence. “Influence, yes, if the humans are receptive to him, but even given high doses of the enzymes he mixed, simulating a decade of drinking that stuff, the average human brain would still be a hard target for him to control and direct their actions.”

Kara shakes her head. “Are you telling me that if you heard a voice in your head, you wouldn’t freak out?”

“I’d definitely freak out,” Winn admits. 

“But no one in Arcadum did! If they drank the stupid lemonade, they accepted it as normal, that they could hear Gregory and their neighbors.” She crosses her arms across her chest. “He must have been influencing them strongly at that point - only two at a time, with _days_ on his contaminated water, surely he could pacify them enough to get what he wanted? Some sort of sedation or something?”

“What do you suggest?” Alex watches her sister carefully. Despite J’onn asking her to present Velan’s side, she knows the course she’d recommend, but she wants Kara to get there too, with a clear head. _Come on, Kara, think._

Kara closes her eyes, breathing slowly, clenching her jaw so she doesn’t blurt out, _Let him rot._ She tries to focus. _Push away the anger, what is the correct decision here? What is just?_

“He’s dangerous,” she says at last, “but if you’re right that he doesn’t have the reach to cause large-scale damage, that means he doesn’t really qualify to be imprisoned here at the DEO.”

_Besides, he **wants** to stay here and I really don’t want to give him what he wants. _

Kara exhales, opening her eyes. “We have more dangerous aliens to keep.” She glances at Winn and J’onn. “What if we transferred him to one of the metahuman cells at NCPD? Winn could ensure they had the dampening field necessary, and it would basically mean solitary confinement for him anyway.” She puts her hands on her hips and tilts her head at her sister. “We can give NCPD most of the files and copies of the interviews, right? They could use the count of his victims to keep him locked up.”

Alex gives a serious nod, but she’s hiding a smile. 

“I can hit up Maggie to make sure the PD has the specs calibrated for his abilities,” Winn offers.

J’onn thinks it over, eyes roaming the room. “That sounds like our best way forward,” he agrees. “We free up resources but he stays locked away and unable to utilize his powers.” He meets Kara’s intent gaze, nodding once. “I’ll get started on the paperwork. Mr. Schott, ensure NCPD has an available and appropriate cell. Alex, why don’t you tell our guest of his change of accommodations?”

Everyone has their assignments and they begin to file out the door. “Sorry about the table,” Kara whispers, and hurries out of the room.

A slow smile forms as J’onn watches the superhero fall into step with her sister. _Well done, Supergirl._

*****

Gregory seems unphased by his planned transfer. “It’ll be the same dampening field, right?”

“It will hold,” Alex confirms.

He nods. “Good.”

Kara has her hands on her hips, watching him recline against the wall of his cell. She’ll be glad when he’s out of her sight, but… “Why did you come to National City?” 

“I purchased the land here, it was a good deal and met all the requirements I needed to be able to build Arcadum.”

Kara rolls her eyes. “Why didn’t you just stay in Nevada? Lots of remote places there, like where you landed.” _Why did you come where you could hurt humans?_

He shrugs. “I stayed for a while, but I had to eat. We bartered on my planet, that’s not exactly feasible for existence on this one… I tried to work nights at first, when most humans were asleep. Subconscious thoughts aren’t as loud as conscious thoughts, but they’re still there, and… the humans that are up past midnight aren’t always thinking the nicest things,” he says, curling his lip in distaste. 

“Longest I lasted was five weeks as a museum security guard, until they found out I spent my time curled up in the center of the building instead of patrolling.” Gregory considers his past actions, then shrugs again. “I was tired, and after the incident with the man and his wife, I figured I had no choice but to always have other people’s thoughts in my head. So I found chemistry instead, learned what I could on the Internet, bought a work history so I could get a job at a lab that worked nights, and started to try to figure out what might keep my head from splitting apart.”

Kara shakes her head. “You had a choice. You chose to hurt people.”

“I never asked for this,” he tells her. “If I would have known your neural disruptor technology existed, I would have requested it. Or turned myself in right away, I’d have been in a cell from that start.”

At Kara’s look of skepticism, he continues, “There’s a _different_ silence when this dampener is on, like when I was wearing the disruptor. It’s easier than hearing stray snippets that pull you from sleep, and it means I don’t have to struggle to spend five minutes in a grocery store at two in the morning before running out because it all gets too loud.” He shakes his head. “I don’t expect you to believe me.”

 _Not everyone who has powers wants them,_ Kara realizes, not for the first time. _He had no support system here, no one who understood… what might it have been like if Jeremiah had never given me my glasses? What if I couldn’t rely on the lead lining to help dampen my hearing when it gets to be too much?_

There was no excuse for the way he went about harming people and Kara would never forgive him for how badly he hurt Lena, but she was beginning to see that while the options for one’s _use_ of powers seemed to be heroism, villainy, or apathy, there was something to be said about _how_ those powers came to be.

“It will be quiet in your cell,” Alex says, when Kara just stares at him, putting a hand on her sister’s arm and guiding her out of the room. 

*****

Days later, Lena is working her way through a stack of papers that require her signature when Jess messages her.

_There's a Winn Schott here to see you. He doesn't have an appointment but you're free for a half hour._

Lena frowns slightly. She hasn't spoken to Winn in weeks and she can't think of what he needs to know that he can't text her. _Send him in._

Winn pokes his head in the door a few seconds later, tugging on the strap of his messenger bag. “Hey,” he says, taking a step inside, “um, I mean, good morning.”

“What can I do for you, Winn?”

He scratches the back of his head as he approaches. “So, I owe you an apology,” he begins. He sets his bag on the chair and digs around for a moment before withdrawing a thumb drive. 

Lena raises an eyebrow when he hands it over. “What is this?”

“Security footage from your office.”

“Excuse me?” Steel creeps into her tone and he flinches. 

“Listen,” Winn says, wringing his hands, “I hacked into your office last week. I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have, but I texted you and you didn't reply and that isn't like you, you know, and I was worried and I didn't know what else to do,” he takes a ragged breath, “so I hacked in. I saw that you, um, slept here, and I told Alex. She said she'd get Kara to come check on you.”

Lena is quiet for several moments, then sighs heavily. “Is this the only copy?”

Winn nods quickly. “I scrubbed it from my servers completely. But I wanted to be transparent.” He shoves both hands in his pockets. “I'm sorry I invaded your privacy.”

“Have you done it before? Or since?”

“No way,” he says. “Well, just the, you know, altered video thing last year. But that's it, I swear.” Winn gnaws at his thumb, biting the nail. “Friends don't hack friends, but I… something was wrong and Kara wouldn't talk about it and I just, I wanted to check on you.”

Lena jostles the small device in her hand. “Thank you for telling me, and… thank you for your concern.” She hands the flash drive back to him. “I trust you to erase this thoroughly.”

He gapes at her. “Forget formatting, I’ll turn this into slag,” he promises. 

“Good.” She smiles gently. “Is there anything else you need?”

“Are we okay?” Winn asks, fiddling with the button at the cuff of his shirt. 

“We’re okay,” she assures him. 

“Can I hug you?”

Lena chuckles and stands, allowing him to come around the desk and put his arms around her in a strong embrace. She squeezes him in return and he's grinning when he steps back. 

“Thanks, Lena. I was, dang, I was freaking out so much about this, but I knew I owed you the truth.” He pats her arm and swings his bag over his shoulder. “See you at game night? Next Friday at Kara’s.”

“I've already put it in my calendar.”

“Score!” He spins once as he exits the office, walking with a spring in his step. 

“He's energetic,” Jess comments, coming inside to hand Lena a few papers before her next meeting. 

“Hm,” Lena agrees. “Add him to the access list, please.”

Jess blinks. “Really?”

Lena nods. “He's a friend.”

*****

The next day, Kara walks into L-Corp, waving brightly at the security guards, leaving a box of doughnuts at their desk as she goes. She still carries a large bag of takeout, heading to the elevators, mentally reviewing the order in her mind. She knows she asked for an avocado wrap for Lena but she didn’t check that they swapped the spring mix for baby spinach. 

She’s biting her lip when the elevator doors slide open. She begins to step inside but stops in mid-stride when she sees Jess standing in the lift. 

The woman looks her over quickly, then moves to the side. “Come on,” Jess says, and she presses a button so the doors don’t close. “Bringing lunch for Lena?”

“Um, yes.” Kara adjusts her glasses and stands as far from Jess as possible, giving her room. The doors slide shut and the elevator smoothly continues its journey upwards. “I also have a strawberry parfait, if you’d like it.”

Jess raises an eyebrow, tucking the archive files she’s holding under one arm. “Is that a bribe?”

Kara blanches. “No!” Her eyes grow wide. “No, I swear, I just remembered you said you liked the parfaits at Tony’s and I -"

Soft laughter cuts her off. “I was kidding, Ms. Danvers.” Jess gives her a small but genuine smile. “I appreciate the thought, and yes, I’ll gladly take the parfait.”

“Oh,” Kara breathes, “good.”

“I don’t have the details on what happened, and honestly, I don’t want them,” Jess remarks, “but Lena has been much happier this week, so whatever it is that’s going on, keep it up.”

Kara smiles. “I plan to.” She clears her throat. “Are… are we okay?”

“We’re okay,” Jess nods, “but you need to let me know when you’re bringing lunch next time so I can schedule you better. She’s still in a meeting for the next fifteen minutes.”

“Oh, I know.” She raises the bag. “Lena prefers this wrap chilled so I was hoping I could borrow your fridge in the break room?”

 _You’re too much._ “Of course.” There’s a small pause as the elevator reaches their floor and then the doors open. “Come on, I’ll walk you there.”

They take a right out of the elevators instead of the left that Kara is used to, and she sticks close, passing a few small conference rooms and finally coming to the employee break room. Jess pushes the door open and follows her in.

A man at the coffee machine looks up when they enter. “Hey, Jess.”

“Hey, Matt. Keurig downstairs broken again?” she asks, moving a few things around in the refrigerator so Kara has room to put the wraps and parfait. 

“Not again, _still_ ,” he sighs, opening the top of the device and withdrawing his empty pod. “Maybe they’ll just replace it this time.” He tosses the pod toward the trash can in the corner of the room but it lands about a foot short and several inches off to the left. 

Matt blushes as he walks over to pick it up and throw it away. 

Jess chuckles softly and pats his arm. “Good try.”

“You in for lunch today?” He puts the lid on his coffee mug and clutches it in one hand. “I think we’re going to do a Five Guys run.”

“Kara actually brought me lunch today,” she gestures to the blonde, who waves briefly as she closes the refrigerator door, “so I’m good, but thanks. Oh, Ms. Luthor is expecting a package today, can you bring that up as soon as it’s scanned?”

“You got it,” he grins, “sure thing,” and nearly walks into the doorframe as he exits the room. 

Kara hides a laugh behind her hand. “He’s crushing on you so hard,” she giggles, when Jess raises an eyebrow at her. 

Jess rolls her eyes. “I _know_ ,” she sighs. “I’ve told him I’m not interested but he just,” she waves her hand, encompassing the room and all of Matt’s actions, “keeps doing _that_.”

“It’s cute.” Kara leans against the counter, crossing her arms. “I wanted to thank you, Jess.”

“For what?” she asks, brow furrowed. 

“For watching out for Lena. I mean, it means a lot, always, but especially the past couple of weeks.” Kara ducks her head. “I’m really grateful you were there for her.”

Jess is quiet for a moment, thinking over her words. “I’ve worked for Lena for years,” she says at last. “She’s been through so much, with her family, attempts on her life, entitled rich white men who can’t stand to see a woman running _any_ business, much less L-Corp. Someone needs to watch out for her.” She meets Kara’s gaze. “I’m glad she has both of us to do that for her, again.”

Kara nods, serious. “Me, too.”

Jess gathers the files again and Kara takes the bag from the fridge and they walk toward Lena’s office in a comfortable silence. Kara sets the parfait on Jess’ desk along with a plastic spoon.

“Thanks.” Jess takes her seat behind her desk. “She should be finishing up here in a minute or two and you can go on in.”

 _There’s a reason Jess is Lena’s assistant and manages her schedule - she’s damned good at it,_ Kara realizes, when the door to Lena’s office opens one minute later and two men in lab coats stroll out, still discussing formulas and not giving Kara a single glance as they pass by. 

They leave the door open so Kara walks in, closing it gently behind her.

“Hey,” Lena says, eyes lighting up when she sees her girlfriend. She stands up and comes around her desk, meeting Kara with a brief kiss. Kara begins to head toward the coffee table but Lena takes her arm. “Wait, this way.” She guides the blonde onto the balcony, where Lena has set up a small round table and two chairs. 

“What’s this?” Kara asks with a smile. 

“I thought we could eat outside.” Lena presses her hands together, a little nervous that she’s being presumptuous. “You had, um, kind of a hard day yesterday,” she mimes waves as if from the ocean, referencing the capsized ship that had taken four hours of hard work from the hero to get everyone to safety and finish the clean up, “and you said the sun was the best thing for you.”

Kara feels tears begin to gather, but she blinks them away and puts the bag on the table, pulling Lena to her for a long hug. _You are my sun._ “Thank you,” she whispers.

Lena keeps her grin throughout the meal, beaming as Kara occasionally tilts her head back and just enjoys the light on her face. Lena’s pretty certain Kara doesn’t even realize she’s doing it. 

_More lunches outside_ , Lena decides, her heart full to bursting with love for her alien. 

*****

The following Friday is game night. Winn and James arrive first and Kara encourages them into a dance-off while they wait for the others. 

They make bets with the snacks and Winn earns four pizza rolls for doing the worm. 

Lena stands in the hall, wringing her hands together. She can hear the music through the door - not overly loud, Kara is mindful of her neighbors - and the laughter rings clear. 

_Anytime now._ She’ll find the courage to enter the apartment and face everyone anytime now, she’s sure. 

_Kara invited me,_ she reminds herself. _She wouldn’t invite me if I wasn’t welcome. Alex and Winn seem okay with me now, and Maggie did drive me home that night, but…_ she sighs. _James Olsen. Kara’s ex and most definitely not a fan of any Luthor._

“Hey, fancy meeting you here,” comes from behind her, and Lena turns to see Maggie and Alex approaching. 

The couple exchange a brief glance and then Alex smoothly hands the six-pack of beer to Maggie, smiles kindly at Lena, and knocks on the apartment door. When Kara opens the door for her, Alex grins and immediately begins to step forward.

“Where’s Maggie?” Kara asks, shifting to allow Alex space to enter. 

“We totally ran out and forgot the beer, so she’s picking some up. She’ll be back soon,” Alex promises, pulling the door closed behind her as she moves inside, blocking any view of the hallway. She cheers at whatever dance move Winn is showing off. 

“Wanna talk?” Maggie offers, setting the beer on the floor and leaning against the wall near where Lena is standing. 

“About what?” Lena asks, trying to play it cool.

“It’s a little intimidating,” Maggie sympathizes, “walking into a room full of people who have been in on this secret, this big, integral secret… not to mention, this group of _friends of the Danvers’_.”

Lena stares at her. 

“I had an advantage - I got to see Alex interact with her sister _and_ with Supergirl," she mouths the last word. "Made it pretty obvious when she freaked out the same way when either was hurt.” She puts her hand on Lena’s shoulder when the woman nods her permission. “But getting accepted as a member of the group, part of the circle of friends, it’s more than just knowing the secret. Alex and I had a rough start - totally my fault,” Maggie acknowledges, “and it took Winn and especially Kara a long time to accept me.”

Lena sighs. “Breaking her sister’s heart is not exactly the same as having family members who have tried to kill her and her cousin.”

Maggie shakes her head. “I wasn’t finished,” she says, gently. “We don’t get to choose our parents,” she sighs, “but that doesn’t mean we can’t choose our family. That group in there, they’ve chosen you. You don’t have to reciprocate,” Maggie assures her, “but even if you don’t, we’ve got your back.”

“Because of Kara.”

“Because of _you_.” She gives Lena an encouraging smile. “Dating a Danvers definitely earns you some points, sure, but just like _knowing the secret_ , that doesn’t get you in. _You_ , Lena Luthor, have friends whether you like it or not.”

Lena considers that. 

Maggie picks up the six-pack. “Ready to get in there?”

 _Maybe she’s right._ “Yeah,” she nods at last.

Maggie grins and knocks loudly on the door of apartment 4A. When Kara opens it, she exclaims, “Look who I found on the way up here!” and gently pushes Lena inside. 

Kara gives Maggie a quick hug and closes the door, reaching for Lena with a longer embrace. “You okay?” she whispers. She purposefully refrained from listening to the conversation with Maggie, but she’d heard Lena’s heartbeat as she stood in the hallway for twenty minutes.

Lena soaks up the hug and kisses Kara’s cheek. “I’m fine.”

“What the hell are you doing, Schott?” Maggie demands, putting the beer in the fridge and then standing next to Alex, watching the strange dance-off happening in the living room. 

“The lawnmower!”

James is laughing too hard to correct him. 

“I believe that’s the sprinkler,” Lena says, still in Kara’s arms.

Alex raises her hands. “Lena gets to pick the first game! She won.”

“What did I do?”

Winn stops flailing about on one leg and grins at her. “You guessed the dance move I was doing, so now you get to choose the first game, if you want. We were rewarding with snacks earlier but, um, I ate all the pizza rolls and Kara finished off the nachos.”

*****

Lena chooses Trivial Pursuit, which surprises no one. She and Kara take the couch while the others choose to sit cross-legged on the floor, forgoing the chairs to be able to scoot closer to the board and reach the cards. 

It quickly turns more competitive than any previous trivia game she’s played.

Winn challenges an answer, pulling out his phone, but Kara declares they have to go by the cards, and Alex finally puts an end to it by simply taking her turn. Winn grumbles but cheers up when he gets his next question correct. 

Lena and Kara are winning, by virtue of Lena answering every one correctly, but they haven’t gotten an entertainment question yet so their pie is still missing the pink wedge. The other teams are tied, missing two a piece. 

Maggie teases Lena when she nails the answer to a history question with barely a pause to consider it. “Show off,” she smirks. 

Lena returns the favor when Maggie gets an obscure sports question correct, about a football game that took place before she was born. “Nerd.”

Alex snorts and gives Lena a wink of approval. 

Maggie feigns indignation. “I am not a _nerd_. I’m _butch_.” She breaks into a grin. “I practiced with the guys’ football team until my pop found out, then I just quizzed the jocks on football trivia in class.”

“Why am I not surprised you were a jock?” Winn laughs. 

James watches their interactions carefully. The gentle teasing from Winn and Maggie, the quiet support from Alex… the fact that Kara’s hands never stray far, regularly squeezing Lena’s arm or stroking her hair, even resting a hand casually on her knee in between rounds of questions. 

_She’s… maybe she’s not putting one over on us,_ James sighs, absently clapping Winn on the shoulder when he gets the entertainment wedge for them. _Maggie’s a cop, she’s even arrested Lena before, and Alex is a federal agent. Neither of them trust blindly._

Alex answers an art and literature question but gets it wrong, Kara is excited when she knows a geography question, then Winn comes from behind with an answer that gains them the final pie wedge. 

Winn throws both arms in the air. “You guys figure out who’s second,” he says haughtily, waving his hand and then collapsing back against the floor. 

As Alex and Maggie draw a card, Maggie poking Winn in the leg until he squawks, James remembers Alex asking him to give Lena a chance. 

_But she doesn’t know the Luthors like I do. Alex didn’t have the front-row seat to Lex’s paranoia and tricks and plots..._

James takes a sip from his bottle of beer, then realizes it’s almost empty and just drains it. _I think… the only one in this room that has a problem with Lena Luthor is me._ He sighs.

Maggie and Alex are stumped by the history question, but Kara and Lena finally get an entertainment category question and, after much deliberation, answer it correctly and complete their pie. 

“Ahh, the nerds win,” Winn declares, sitting up and holding his hands out for high-fives from Lena and Kara. 

“Excuse me,” James protests. 

“You’re a _photography_ nerd, Olsen, suck it up,” Maggie laughs. 

“Okay, since you guys came in first, you choose next game,” Kara says, wrapping her arm around Lena’s waist and resting her chin on the woman’s shoulder. 

Winn looks to James but he shrugs. “You choose, man.”

“Mario Kart!”

“That’s only four players,” Maggie notes. 

“I’ve never played,” Lena says, “I’ll just watch for a while.”

Kara begins to put away the Trivial Pursuit game. 

“I’ll race the winners,” James decides, to which Winn cheers. It’s their standard setup when they have more than four players - they play three races, whoever has the lowest ranking is eliminated and the person who sat out gets to play. 

Alex groans but moves to the television center to dig out the controllers and turn on the console. 

“I’ll go make more popcorn,” Lena says, accepting Kara’s quick hug with a smile, grabbing the empty bowl and heading into the kitchen. 

James gets to his feet, stretching his back for a moment, and motions with his empty bottle. “Gonna grab another beer. Want one?” he offers to the group. 

A chorus of _no, thanks_ is their response, so he walks to the kitchen, recycles the empty bottle, and pulls another from the fridge. 

Applause sounds from behind him as the video game begins and the players choose their characters. 

He reaches around Lena for the bottle opener and they bump around each other a little in the small kitchen. Lena starts the microwave as James pries the top off the bottle and puts the cap in the recycling bin as well. 

_This isn’t Lex,_ James reminds himself, though he can see some of the Luthor bloodline in her profile and it’s a little unnerving. _This is Lena; she wants out of the Luthor shadow, she doesn’t revel in it, and… as much as I thought it was all a pretense at first, she’s proven numerous times who she really is._

James takes his first sip. “I’m glad you’re okay, after everything. With Arcadum,” he adds, when Lena just stares at him.

“Oh. Thank you,” she smiles politely. 

The kernels begin to pop. 

He glances over his shoulder at the group in the living room. Kara is leaning to the right, almost falling off the couch, trying to urge her character to make a sharp right turn without going off the track. 

“She’s happy,” he says. 

Lena watches as the second race ends and Alex comes in fourth again, so she tosses her controller on the couch beside Kara, sliding onto the floor and putting her hands on Maggie’s shoulders, cheering her on to beat Kara and Winn in the next round. Winn yells as Kara passes him and the blonde cackles, taunting him good-naturedly. 

“She’s with her friends,” Lena agrees, content to watch Kara having fun. “She loves game night.”

“I meant, she’s happy with you.” 

“Oh,” is all she says, unsure of how to respond. 

James sighs, setting his beer on the counter. “You know I’m close to them both, Superman and Supergirl.” Lena nods, and now she thinks she knows where this is going. “I’ve seen what happens when a Luthor gets their claws on a Super.”

In the living room, Kara’s head snaps up and she begins to stand, but Lena sees the movement and waves her off. 

“I was there for Lex, for your mother, for Cadmus... I’ve seen the damage they cause.”

Lena clenches her jaw. 

“But you were even closer to it all. You were a target for Cadmus and Lex’s crimes hurt you, too.” He pauses for a moment, nodding to himself. “I know all I need to about Lex and Lillian Luthor, but I realize now that I don’t really know much about you. I’d like to change that.”

The microwave beeps. 

Lena scans his face, gauging his sincerity, and when he holds out his hand, she takes it firmly. Maggie’s words of _chosen family_ echo in her mind. 

“And I’m glad you’re here,” he adds. 

That gets a genuine smile and she holds his gaze for a moment longer. “Thank you.”

James smiles and releases his grip, grabbing his beer. “Ready to get back out there? By Winn’s wailing, I think he’s losing.”

Lena empties the popcorn into the bowl and walks into the living room with James at her side. Kara scoots over and Lena accepts the offer, sitting on the couch beside the blonde, who has her controller resting on the coffee table. A few well-timed shells had put her in third place, and technically if Lena didn’t want to take a turn she could still sit in, but she was content to watch the others play if it meant more cuddling with Lena.

“Everything okay?” Kara murmurs, kissing the edge of Lena’s ear as the woman places the bowl of popcorn on the table, within reach for everyone. 

“Yeah,” Lena smiles, leaning into the affection, and Kara kisses her jaw. “It’s… a good night with friends.”

Kara smiles against her cheek. “Mmhmm,” she breathes, nuzzling the delicate skin. 

“Hey, I need some help over here,” Winn yelps. “Quit making out and send me some good luck.”

“Don’t listen to him,” Alex retorts, kneeling at Maggie’s back, swatting blindly at Winn who dodges. “Luck won’t help you, Schott, you’re going down!”

“No way, man, you’ve got this,” James urges, standing nearby, accepting Alex’s controller when she tosses it to him. 

Lena snuggles closer, Kara’s arm wrapped around her waist, and she watches the race play out on the screen, enjoying the banter and laughter. 

_Yeah. A good night with friends,_ she smiles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Confession: I've never played Mario Kart but I know it's a popular group/party game? I found clips on YouTube and kinda crossed my fingers. Hope that isn't too obvious... 
> 
> Chapter fourteen will be up by the end of the week!


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Settling in to the relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We always end with fluff!
> 
> I apologize for this chapter taking so long. It's very rare that I post a fic before it's finished, but my wife encouraged me to add these last two chapters, so here we are. :) Thank you for your patience!

The following morning, Lena wakes to an empty bed. She squints as the sunlight settles across her face, and she wonders what might have needed the hero’s attention. She pushes up on her elbows and opens her eyes, taking in the small wooden nightstand to her left and the rack of clothes near the window to her right, and smiles slowly as she realizes she _likes_ waking up at Kara’s. 

She stretches her arms above her head. _Even if Kara herself isn’t_ \- her hand rests on the sheets to her right and they’re still a little warm. Wherever Kara had rushed off to, she couldn’t have been gone long, and Lena wishes she would have woken her to say goodbye. 

She hears movement in the kitchen and pulls her shirt down, throwing the covers back and slipping out of bed. She turns the corner and finds Kara, still in her pajamas, rummaging through the refrigerator, and Lena watches as she pulls out orange juice and the almond milk that Kara had purchased entirely for Lena’s use. 

“What are you doing?” 

Kara closes the refrigerator door. “Did I wake you? I’m sorry.” She gestures to the open window. “Just give me a second to change and I’ll get some breakfast, okay? Maybe Italy?”

“No.”

“Oh, New York again? Absolutely, that -”

“Kara, you don’t have to keep doing this.”

Kara frowns in confusion. “But you, you don’t want this?”

“Exotic breakfasts?” Lena puts her hands on her hips. “No.”

“Okay,” Kara says, licking her lips, “I mean, I can get you whatever you want, from wherever you want.”

Lena softens as Kara’s look turns frantic. She reaches out and Kara takes her hand instantly. “I want _you_ ,” Lena says, stepping closer. “Why are you… oh.” She tangles their fingers together. “Do you remember how I said nothing was going to change after I found out you were Supergirl? That I wasn’t going to treat you differently?”

Kara nods, prepared to take mental notes on whatever it is that Lena is about to say, despite the sinking feeling in her heart. _It always happens, at least a little._ Anything that Lena needs her to do, or not do, Kara knows she’ll try to the best of her ability. 

“That means you can’t treat this, _us_ , differently.” Lena withdraws her hand from Kara’s and places it against her chest, right where her crest would be. “You don’t have to cook dinner every night and I don’t want breakfast from New York every morning.” She runs her hands through the slightly mussed blonde hair, smiling when Kara finally relaxes. “I want to wake up with you beside me and maybe cuddle with you until we have to get ready for work.”

“You need breakfast,” Kara protests the exclusion of food in Lena’s scenario. 

Lena takes a breath. _The truth._ “I don’t like waking up and you’re gone,” she admits. 

Kara melts, understanding. She takes a half-step closer, hands settling on Lena’s hips, feeling the soft fabric of the old worn t-shirt Lena had borrowed. “Okay,” Kara agrees easily, “no more of that. But if it’s, you know, a Supergirl thing -”

“Wake me before you go?”

“I can do that,” Kara smiles. 

“Emergencies come up, but don’t leave bed every morning just to make breakfast, okay?” Lena kisses her softly. “I’d rather have cereal if it means I get to spend more time with you.”

“But I can make us pancakes sometimes?”

“How about pancakes on Sundays?”

“Oh,” Kara tugs her closer and Lena caresses her cheek, “does this mean we’ll be spending Saturday nights together?”

“And Fridays?”

“Yes, good, I like this plan,” she smiles, kissing Lena gently, “keep going.”

Kara abandons her breakfast preparations when Lena leads her back to bed.

*****

Lena runs her fingers through blonde hair, smiling at the weight as Kara lays her head against Lena’s stomach. She feels a kiss against her hip and then Kara throws an arm over her legs, thumb stroking the soft skin at the outside of her thigh.

“All day,” Kara sighs, “let’s just stay like this all day.”

Lena smiles. “That sounds good to me.” Sometimes she wonders if their relationship feels as _complete_ to Kara as it does to her, if the reporter feels the same. Then Kara will say something that echoes exactly Lena’s own thoughts and she knows they’re in this together. “I love you,” she says, and she can feel Kara’s smile against her skin. 

“Hm,” Kara hums happily, shifting to kiss Lena’s belly button, repeating the move when Lena laughs, “I love you, too.” She trails gentle kisses up the woman’s bare stomach and then rests her head on her shoulder, burying her nose in dark hair, kissing the elegant neck. 

“What if we go out to dinner next week?” She gives a happy sigh as Kara pulls her in for a hug. “I’ll double-check Monday morning, but I should be free Thursday night.” 

“Really?” Kara’s hopeful smile tells her it’s unexpected and Lena narrows her eyes. 

“Why wouldn’t we?”

“Well, I thought, maybe, with the press and all, if you didn’t want to, you know, be together in public,” her voice trails off at the end and she gnaws her bottom lip.

Lena frowns. “Where did you get that idea? Kara, I’m not, god, I’m not _ashamed_ to be dating you. I’m not trying to hide.”

“Okay,” Kara shrugs but Lena ducks her head, finding her gaze.

“We sort of had that date at the diner, didn’t we?” She traces the edge of Kara’s ear. “Why would you think now that I wouldn’t want to go out with you?”

“Well that wasn’t a _real_ date, you know,” she breathes, refusing to meet Lena’s eyes, “it was pretend and no one knew who we were, really. You weren’t the CEO of L-Corp dating a junior reporter.” 

Lena shakes her head. “That’s still not the case - this is _me_ dating _you_. That’s all that matters. Not whether I’m a CEO or you’re a reporter or even that you’re Supergirl.” Lena kisses her. “I want to be with _you_ , Kara.” She quirks an eyebrow. “You aren’t dating me just to get your hands on a CEO’s income, are you?”

Kara’s head snaps up and her cheeks flush, missing the teasing. “Of course not! Lena, I love you, I want to _be_ with you, I don’t care about your money or, or your _job_.”

Lena smiles gently. “And I don’t care about yours.”

“Oh.” Blue eyes blink rapidly as it sinks in. “I was kinda… that was silly, sorry. “

“It isn’t silly if it’s something you were worried about, darling,” Lena assures her. “We can talk about these things, right?” _And one day we’re going to sit down and talk about where all this is coming from._ Kara nods. “And now we can decide where to go to dinner on Thursday.”

Kara grins. “Yeah, but that’s so far away.” She kisses along Lena’s neck to her collarbone. “Five. Whole. Days. We can figure it out later.” Lena lifts her chin to allow better access and Kara raises up on an elbow to oblige. 

“Mmhmm,” Lena agrees, surrendering to the gentle kisses, “dinner later.”

*****

After a lazy Saturday, Kara spends Sunday at Lena’s, laptop open as she sits on the sofa working on an article, her legs over Lena’s. Lena sits nearby, scrolling through her tablet, absently rubbing her thumb against Kara’s knee. After dinner, they curl up on the couch for a movie and Kara carries Lena to bed before the credits roll.

Monday morning, Kara walks into CatCo, a smile on her face as she remembers the long minutes kissing Lena before she’d had to leave the apartment. She considers the date, realizing they’ve been together for three weeks, and does some quick math, counting over a dozen nights where they’d stayed at one or the other’s apartment. A few times had been interrupted by an emergency that required Supergirl’s attention, but for the most part, Kara spent each of those nights wrapped around Lena, holding her close, and woke each morning with Lena’s head on her shoulder. 

Well, she’d woken with Lena’s head on her shoulder for at least a few minutes, before she was climbing out of bed to get breakfast, but since their talk on Saturday morning, she knows now she’ll get even more time cuddling with Lena.

_Perfect._

She waves at the receptionists at the front desk and detours toward James’ office. Eve motions her on, indicating James is free for a quick chat, but Kara knocks on the open door anyway. 

James turns and smiles, beckoning her inside. “What’s up?” he says, and motions for her to sit. 

Kara stands near the sofa but does not sit. “Um, so, about game night.”

Both eyebrows go up and James spreads his hands. “Hey, I wasn’t trying to start any problems.”

“No, no, you didn’t… I wanted to say thank you.” Kara clears her throat. “I know we’ve had our differences about Lena.”

“Not really. I was suspicious because of her name,” he admits. “You were talking about your friendship with Lena, I was arguing about your trust of a Luthor.” James sighs. “That isn’t fair, to either of you.”

Kara smiles warmly, but before she can reply, “Danvers!” can be heard from across the floor. 

“Go on,” James says, chuckling at Kara’s wide-eyed look as she hurries to the reporter’s den.

“You called, chief?”

The man doesn’t even look up. “Need an article on Lena Luthor. She’s got this -”

“Sorry, um, no.”

Now he slowly raises his head and she smiles nervously at his glare. “What?” he gruffs. 

“I mean, I can’t.” Kara clears her throat. “I can’t do an article on Lena Luthor or L-Corp… violation of ethics.”

Snapper stares at her. “Why now? You’ve covered her for over a year. What dilemma suddenly appeared?”

Kara rocks back on her heels. “Um, we’re dating.”

He takes off his glasses and rubs his temples. “You’re killing me, ponytail.”

“Sorry, chief.”

“You aren’t supposed to _date_ your interviews.”

Kara shrugs and can’t stop her smile, though she kind of tries, in order to keep Snapper’s ire to a minimum. “The heart wants what it wants.”

Snapper groans loudly. “Get out of here with your cliches. Johnson,” he roars, as Kara skirts out of the den, “you’re covering L-Corp, effective immediately.” 

Johnson scampers to Snapper’s desk. 

“First assignment, the Supergirl statue Lena Luthor is unveiling in two weeks.”

Kara drops her notebook and narrowly avoids running into the wall. 

_Supergirl statue?_

*****

Kara arrives thirty minutes late to dinner Thursday night, getting caught up helping first responders deal with a multi-car pile up, but if Lena had any lingering frustration at the delay on their first actual date, it all melts away the moment she sees Kara walk in. 

“I’m sorry,” she says, hurrying to the table, and she has her hair up in a high bun that Lena associates with Kara Danvers, the reporter. The cardigan and pencil skirt are replaced by a mid-thigh length black dress that, when Kara turns and steps out of the way of a waiter with a tray laden with dishes, Lena realizes the dress has an open back, and, by extension, that means Kara is not wearing a bra. 

“It’s fine.” Lena’s reassurance comes out a little strangled and she clears her throat, smiling at the blonde. “It’s fine,” she repeats.

Kara takes the seat across from her and returns the smile. “You’re beautiful,” she says, openly admiring Lena’s off-the-shoulder red dress. It’s the first time she’s seen her girlfriend since Monday morning, between a rash of armed robberies and a hectic schedule at L-Corp, and Kara hadn’t realized how much she’d missed just being around her. “Did you order? You didn’t have to wait for me.”

“Of course I waited, darling.” Lena realizes her throat has gone dry and she takes a sip from her glass of water, forgoing the wine for a moment. “That dress is… something else.”

Kara blushes to the roots of her hair and when she raises her head, Lena is smiling at her so fondly that she ducks her gaze and her blush turns a darker shade. 

Lena chuckles softly but the waiter appears to take their order before she can say anything else. After he’s jotted down their requests and promised to bring an extra order of bread for the table, Kara regains her composure and raises her glass of wine as the waiter takes his leave. 

“To our first date.”

Lena agrees, echoing the words with a smile and touching her glass to Kara’s, taking a sip. “The first of many,” she adds quietly, and Kara grins. 

“Yes!” The blonde smooths her hands across her thighs. She _loves_ Lena, they already practically lived together for like a week, there’s no reason for her to be nervous just because it’s the first time they’ve officially gone on a date… but she’s definitely nervous. “Um, how was your day?”

They talk a bit about their respective jobs, about Lena’s upcoming conference with Morgan Edge and the policymakers of the city and Kara gushes again about how _amazing_ it is that Cat Grant is the press secretary.

“Oh, Tuesday afternoon,” Lena says, remembering that since they hadn’t had much time to talk in the previous days, she hadn’t caught Kara up, “I found a new CFO.”

Kara smiles at Lena’s obvious excitement. “That’s great! I know you’ve been looking for someone to take that position for a while now.” She leans forward, eager to hear Lena speak about anything and everything. 

“My friend Sam will start in a few weeks.”

“Oh,” Kara perks up, “you’ve talked about her, I recognize that name. She has a daughter, right?”

“Right,” Lena confirms, pleased, though not surprised, at Kara’s recall of the handful of times she’d spoken about Sam, “Ruby is… twelve now, I believe. Sam didn’t want to take her out of school so it will be a little bit of a drive, but she can work at L-Corp without having to move.”

“I’m glad that’s going to work out! Finally having that CFO position staffed will free up your schedule a little, won’t it?” Kara asks, already planning for longer lunches or additional quick visits to the L-Corp balcony.

“Some.” Lena clears her throat. _No more business tonight._ “Did Alex text you today?” When Kara cocks her head in general agreement, Lena realizes she needs to clarify - _of **course** , Alex probably texts her daily_ \- and explains, “About Maggie’s birthday?”

“Oh, she didn’t say anything about that.” Kara squints as she mentally filters through Earth’s calendar and Maggie’s date of birth. “Isn’t her birthday in like three months?”

“Apparently Alex is already trying to plan.”

Kara chuckles. “Yeah, she kind of stresses about birthdays.” 

Lena worries her lip. “I gave her a couple of ideas.”

“I’m sure she appreciates that,” she smiles gently, “but you know, you don’t have to tell me what you guys talked about.” _Come on, babe, they’re your friends, too._

“I just don’t feel like I know Maggie well enough to be offering gift suggestions.”

“Maybe we should do a double-date next time,” is Kara’s idea, and Lena finds herself smiling. 

“That might be fun.”

Kara nods and is about to rattle off a few ideas for places they could go, when their food arrives. Her eyes grow wide at the amount of dishes, seemingly never-ending as they’re set on the table. The waiter adds two baskets of fresh bread, refills their waters, and then moves on. 

“I didn’t realize it would be this much,” Kara whispers, glancing around at other tables, comparing their three plates to the seven Kara has in front of her. Her shoulders come up as if she’s trying to hide.

Lena frowns, not understanding the sudden shyness over food. “Is it not what you wanted? We can order something else.”

“No,” Kara says quickly, before Lena can signal their waiter, “it isn’t that. This is great. I just… it’s kind of a lot.”

“Is it enough for you?” Lena asks. 

“Yeah.”

“Then it isn’t too much.” Blue eyes glance at their neighbors again and it finally dawns on Lena. “Oh, are we comparing meals now?” She raises an eyebrow playfully. “If I’d have known this was going to get competitive, I would have ordered the lobster.”

Kara shakes her head, smiling a little. 

“Darling, it doesn’t matter one bit what they’re having and I doubt they care in the slightest however much was brought to our table.” She takes a drink of wine. “All that counts is that we get to enjoy our dinner, and all I need for that to happen is that _you_ are happy.”

“You’re the best.”

Lena smiles at the compliment. She watches Kara closely throughout dinner, but her posture relaxes and she doesn’t seem to care about the other diners, so Lena figures she must be feeling better. She remembers Kara’s hesitance over the weekend, the concern that Lena wouldn’t want them to really be seen together. _I need her to know that I’m proud to be dating Kara Danvers._

With that in mind, Lena takes a bit of whipped cream from the top of the chocolate cake that Kara ordered for dessert, swiping a dollop with her index finger and holding it across the table. Kara stares for a long moment, as if to check if Lena is serious, and then leans forward, cleaning the whipped cream with her tongue and finishing with a soft kiss to the pad of Lena’s finger. 

_This might have backfired,_ Lena acknowledges in the back of her mind as her heart starts to race. 

They trade bites, feeding each other, though they switch to forks because Lena isn’t sure she could handle hand-feeding Kara again.

Lena texts David to bring the car around, signs the check. She amends her previous thought. _Hand-feeding is fun, but not in public,_ she decides.

Kara notices the pause when Lena rests her hand at the back of her chair, and she comes around the table, taking Lena’s arm gently. “You okay?”

Lena nods. “I’m fine,” she says. _Ready to get you home._ “Shall we?” They hold hands through the restaurant but when they’re outside and there’s a little more room, several people waiting at the valet but not as cramped as trying to maneuver around tables, Lena wraps her arm around Kara, hand tracing random shapes against her lower back, bared by the dress. 

Kara turns her head and kisses just beneath Lena’s ear. “What are you doing?” she whispers, and the warm breath against her skin makes Lena shiver. 

“Appreciating your dress,” she states, the puff of air against her neck telling her Kara is amused by the reply.

The sleek black town car pulls up to the curb and David climbs out of the driver’s seat, coming around and holding the rear door open for them. He nods politely when they thank him, and adds a, “Yes, ma’am,” when Lena tells him to drive to her apartment, the words tossed over her shoulder as she follows Kara into the backseat.

David closes the door firmly but gently, settles himself in the front seat once more, and makes sure the divider is fully closed. He also turns the radio up just a little, until he can’t hear the rustles behind him. 

Lena tosses her purse on the floorboard and reaches for Kara, cupping her face with both hands, drawing her close for a series of fierce kisses. Kara responds earnestly, always a fan of kissing her girlfriend, but she squirms a little when Lena breaks from the kissing and nearly attaches herself to Kara’s neck. 

“Um,” Kara begins, and Lena nips once more, “can we, um, hang on a second?” She _knows_ her nerves at dinner were painfully obvious and _of course_ Lena is going to want to reassure her, but if this is just for Lena to make Kara feel better, maybe it shouldn’t happen right now. She wants it to be Lena’s idea, not some pity affection.

Lena pulls back, breathing hard. “What is it?” Her pupils are blown wide, mouth slightly parted, a few strands of hair pulled loose from her bun, and she’s staring at Kara as if she can barely restrain herself. 

_Rao, this… is this **desire**?_ She listens to the rapid heartbeat, the increased respiration, notices the way Lena’s hands are still near her shoulders, thumbs tracking across the ridges and dips of her collarbone. Kara recognizes the passion, she’s seen it, _felt_ it before, but these moments have always been in private… and while they’re not exactly in public right this instant, everyone that saw them together likely knew where they’d end up, their affection leaving little doubt as to their relationship. 

Kara blinks when that thought hits her. _In public, in private, she wants this…. she wants **us**._

Before Lena can ask what’s wrong, Kara darts forward, kissing her again, and there’s a thrill up her spine when she hears Lena moan. 

Nothing else exists, the sounds of traffic or the gentle idle of the car, it all fades away for the women in the backseat, lost in each other. 

David knocks softly on the window but does not open the door, giving them time to regain their composure - he’s too professional to speculate that they’re needing to redress - and when he hears the latch shift as the handle is engaged, he slowly opens the door. 

“We’ve arrived, Ms. Luthor, Ms. Danvers.” He smiles. They’d actually been sitting at the curb for almost twenty minutes, and if it weren’t for building security beginning to get a little nosy, he wouldn’t have interrupted. He doesn’t comment on their hair falling from styles that had been immaculate when they climbed in, or that Lena’s dress is a bit more off the shoulder than intended. “Have a good evening.”

Lena smiles and takes Kara’s hand. “Thank you, David. Good night.”

They hold hands as they enter the building, through the lobby, into the elevator, where the presence of a single other passenger is the only thing that keeps Lena from kissing Kara senseless, and down the hall to Lena’s apartment. Lena unlocks the door and swings it open, hand still gripping Kara’s. 

Kara uses her free hand to push the door closed as they enter and Lena tugs her toward the bedroom. 

*****

When they’re both still awake at two in the morning, placing lazy kisses on any skin in reach, and Lena’s stomach growls, Kara declares it’s time for early morning pancakes. Lena makes scrambled eggs, standing beside Kara as she mixes the batter. Lena nudges Kara’s hip with her own and Kara grins, kissing Lena’s shoulder in response. They continue with the back-and-forth affection - a hip bump turns into a pat which turns into a caress of skin under the shirt, the shoulder kiss moves to the cheek and the ear and then becomes a string of kisses at the throat - until they lose long minutes standing in the kitchen, wrapped around each other, and the pancakes are only a little burnt. 

They sit and eat well-done pancakes with slightly dry scrambled eggs on the couch while watching a few reruns of old sitcoms from the 90s, and a scene inspires Kara to braid Lena’s hair. With only a few hours until dawn, Lena knows she should decline and try to get some sleep, but Kara’s fingers are already combing through her hair and she’s asking so softly, and Lena doesn’t want to deny either of them the closeness. 

Lena accepts the offer, sitting cross-legged on the sofa, her back to Kara, exhaling slowly at the gentle scratch along her scalp. There are no words as Kara works, but whenever she has to find a runaway strand and pull it back in to be braided, she presses a warm kiss to the back of Lena’s neck.

Somewhere in the depth of her contentment, Lena acknowledges she is utterly in love with Kara Danvers. 

“Lena,” Kara asks, as she finishes the braid, “you aren’t really putting up a statue of Supergirl, are you?”

Lena takes a moment to answer the question, the words startling her after the long silence. “I told you I was. I asked you about it. Well,” she amends, “I asked Supergirl about it.”

Kara sighs. “I kind of thought you were joking?”

“I most certainly was not. I commissioned it the day after we spoke.”

“It’s… is it small?”

Lena laughs. “You’ve never looked under the tarp by the waterfront, I take it?”

Kara groans and rests her forehead against Lena’s upper back. 

“Darling, it’s a little too late for me to cancel this now. Does it really bother you?” Lena turns and cups Kara’s face in her hands. 

“It’s just,” Kara sighs, leaning into the touch, “a statue seems so… narcissistic?”

“Only if it was your idea,” Lena says, with a small smile. “Besides, doesn’t your cousin have an _entire_ park in Metropolis named after him? And a statue, and a museum, and a -”

“Yeah, I know,” she chuckles, before Lena can continue listing all the tributes to Superman that have been erected in Metropolis in the past two decades. “It’s just… I don’t do it for recognition, you know?” Kara shrugs, uncomfortable. She likes helping people, making a difference, saving lives, but the _other_ thoughts about _deserving credit_ and a _savior’s due_ are never far behind. “I don’t want people to think I requested it as some sort of reward.”

 _That won’t be an issue,_ Lena knows, thinking of the inscription at the base of the statue. 

Lena tucks a few stray strands of blonde hair behind Kara’s ear. “The city just wants to show you how much we appreciate what Supergirl has done, especially in the past year. You’re Earth’s champion.” She rests her hands on Kara’s thighs, thumbs stroking gently. “The mayor was very excited when I mentioned the idea; the statue would be a way for you, and the citizens of National City, to always remember the good that you do, the lives you save.”

“For me?” 

Lena nods. “He didn’t give specifics, but mentioned an event two years ago that was… _difficult_ for you and the city.”

Kara ducks her head. “Oh. Yeah.” They were going to have to have a conversation about red Kryptonite at some point, even if only so Lena is aware of the symptoms, but it’s not a discussion Kara is looking forward to.

Lena lifts her chin and places a kiss on Kara’s forehead. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Kara replies, her smile a little watery. 

“Do you know what else the mayor said?” Kara shakes her head, and Lena continues, “He told me how you kept fighting, kept protecting the city, and when you needed them, they rallied to your defense. At the end of the day, Supergirl is their hero… let them say thank you.”

Kara nods and leans forward, resting her head against Lena’s shoulder. Lena puts both arms around her and rubs her back, holding her close, for as long as she needs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for coming along with me on this fic, for all of your comments and kudos and tumblr messages... thank you a million times. This is one of the most plot-heavy fics I've done and hearing from you all that you found it interesting and engaging, it was amazing.
> 
> This story was written from September 4, 2017 - May 22, 2018. All told, it runs 180 pages. The title is taken from the X-Files episode "Arcadia" - it's the phrase the entry gate gives when someone keys in their code.
> 
> Also, you may have noticed I made this a series. I may add a few short fics set in the third season, which should fit nicely here.

**Author's Note:**

> The episode of the X-Files is called "Arcadia" from the sixth season.
> 
> You can find me on [tumblr](http://y02mustang.tumblr.com/)!


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